Proof That Stubborness Is A Skill
by Lady Puffazee
Summary: Sequel to "They Can Have Their Fancy Stuff". It follows Hermione and Severus as they go through the year as a couple, with a few surprises on the way. If you don't like Hermione/Severus then don't read. I have been working on this for almost a year, (364 days if you want to be specific) so I really hope people like it. Rated for safety. Please read and review! second in a series


**Authors note: Here it is, the sequel to "They Can Have Their Fancy Stuff". I hope those who were looking forward to this story enjoy it. I'm really proud of this story, I have been working on it for almost a year which makes it the longest story that I haven't given up on, especially with the busy year that I've had. If you haven't read "They Can Have Their Fancy Stuff", then some parts of this story may not make sense but it can still be read as a one shot if you're feeling too lazy to go and look for the first story. Anyway, enjoy****.**

**New Author note: I'm currently working on an epilogue to this called "Think Like Me, It'll Come To You". Be sure to look out for it :)**

_Proof That Stubbornness Is A Skill_

The Great Hall was filled with the chatter of the students as breakfast became well underway. Severus and I walk up to the professors table and are greeted by McGonagall.

"Good morning Severus, Hermione"

"Good morning Minerva" replied Severus with a little smile.

"Good morning" I say happily. I may have been the transfiguration mistress at Hogwarts for about two months now but I'm still having trouble calling my former professors by their first names.

The headmistress smiles knowingly at me and throws a wink my way as Severus pulls out my chair for me to sit down. She seems to have picked up on some of Dumbledore's traits; I hope that doesn't make her too nosey for her own good.

"How are you this morning Minerva?" Severus asked politely.

All the professors joked that because of our relationship, Severus' inner gentlemen has come out in full force, not that it wasn't present before but it's just easier for him to slip into that role nowadays. They say that it makes sense; we have numerous things in common and seem to balance each other out.

"Very well thank you" she replies as she sips on her tea.

The conversation picks up as we pile food onto our plates and start to eat. Severus smiles at professor Flitwick in response to something he had said and sips on his tea. I on the other hand was peaking at the students over the top of my coffee cup.

Once it was clear that Severus and I were determined to pursue our relationship, everyone else seemed to accept it. There was an article in 'The Prophet' but it was positive, for once, and the wizarding world talked about it for a few days before people just began to shrug it off. "They're not hurting anyone" they said, "It's their choice". However, there's always one and that one is Ron. He's furious, it would actually be kind of funny if you ignore the hurtful comments that he throws around. Alice was like the cat that got the cream, she was ecstatic when we publicly acknowledged our relationship. The only thing that hasn't happened yet is the meeting of Severus and my parents. They know but asked that we wait before the introductions are made, saying that if we're still together after a few months then they know that we're serious and it's not just a passing fling. I hope that the meeting may help mend the bridge between myself and my parents, but if it doesn't I refuse to waste my time concerning them. It'll be their loss; also I wonder if I'll end up meeting Severus' mother.

"Sickle for your thoughts?" Severus whispers in my left ear.

I smile and reply "Still trying to figure out why everyone made a big fuss about you surviving and whether or not you could be trusted and that goes on for months, yet we announce our relationship and no one cares after a few days."

This earns me a deep chuckle and a playful smirk, that cheeky bastard.

"You know why, don't you?" I ask with mock anger.

"I never reveal my sources, however if you could remind me to thank Narcissa the next time we see her that would be great" he says with a laugh.

A few students hear and quietly high five. Apparently Severus has become more patient in his classes which in turn has caused the students, some more grudgingly then others, to like and enjoy potions. I think it might also have something to do with the fact that his teeth are now straight and whiter than what they were, and that he dropped the glamour charm on his nose to reveal that although his nose was a little larger than average, it was straight and not hooked or crooked. That didn't change the fact that the majority of students still have a healthy fear of him, well of his temper anyway.

I roll my eyes and continue to eat as the owls arrive with the morning post. A grin made its way on my face as the familiar sight of Annabella, Harry's new snowy barn owl, flew gracefully towards me.

"Hello sweetie" I coo at her as I offer her some spare pumpkin juice and the crust of my toast.

She hoots dreamily at me and offers her leg as she begins to daintily eat. I untie the piece of parchment and gently stroke her beak before she blinks prettily at me at soars off.

"When did Harry obtain a new owl?" Severus inquires, seeing Harry's handwriting on the parchment.

"Only a few weeks ago, he wasn't really sure about it, given the way he lost Hedwig and everything" I say while reading. "Apparently he realised that he needed an owl and Annabella seemed to sense his grief and hesitation and hooted very softly at him. Ginny said that the shop owner remarked on how sympathetic and gentle she was being towards Harry as she was usually aggressive. Ginny convinced Harry to have a trial run with her, she fit right in and never left" I finish and I reach for my almost empty coffee cup.

"She seems rather taken with you" he admits.

I nod and pull out a spare piece of parchment but then decide against it.

"Hermione?" he asks curiously.

I simply grin at him and turn to McGonagall "Headmistress?" I begin cheekily.

"Yes?" she replies intrigued.

"May I have permission to cast a patronus right now in the Great Hall?"

"Of course dear, in a moment" she says and rises to her feet. "Attention!" she calls.

The hall falls quiet at her request and all eyes look to her, intrigued.

"I just wish to inform that Professor Granger is going to cast a patronus charm."

The hall begins to fill with excited whispers.

"I'm only telling you so that you know that nothing is amiss, that is all" she finishes before nodding at me, sitting down and returning to her tea cup.

I return the nod and stand up, moving so that I'm in front of the table. I draw out my wand and focus on how I feel when Severus holds me in his arms.

"Expecto Patronum!" I say clearly, prompting my silver otter to appear out the tip of my wand.

"That sounds lovely, we will be free during fifth period" I say to the otter.

It squeaks adorably in front of me before twirling around Severus and heading off to deliver my message. I smile and return to my seat.

Severus leans over and whispers "In three, two, one."

"DID YOU SEE THAT?" "THAT WAS AMAZING!" "I WONDER WHEN WE'LL LEARN THAT" "WOW THAT WAS SO COOL!"

The exclamations of the students are easily heard as they move off to their first lessons. The professors beside me chuckle as they do the same.

"Nicely done dear, what did you think of?" McGonagall asks.

"Severus" I reply with a casual shrug.

I'm rewarded with a quick kiss to the cheek as Severus and I leave the hall.

"I take it that Harry will be paying us a visit?"

"Yes, with Ron still mad and Ginny and Molly feeling ashamed, it's easier for him to come here. I hope I haven't overstepped a boundary?"

"Not at all" he responds genuinely. "I'll see you then, your office?"

I nod the affirmative and he smiles as turns and goes to begin his class. I however don't have a class until second period so I head to my office to work on some grading. My plan is put on hold once I walk through the door, because, waiting for me on my desk is a gold and green wrapped package. I check for any hexes or curses, force of habit nowadays, and when I discover none I pick up the card. I smile as I read the familiar cursive hand.

Happy Second Month Anniversary!  
>I know it's not too major of an anniversary,<br>however to me it is. I also know that you noticed the  
>date this morning and I didn't miss the sideways glance that<br>came my way. I hope you enjoy it and don't bother getting me anything,  
>the laugh that will surely leave your mouth once you recognise my gift<br>is present enough.  
>With love,<br>Severus. S.

With a smile still on my face I open the box and, sure enough, let out a laugh when I realise what it is. It's a book but not just any book. Sitting in red and silver tissue paper is a first edition hard back copy of 'The History of Polyjuice', the very book that was in our fake bet the night that we first kissed.

"He remembered, and acknowledged it. Severus Snape, you are full of surprises" I say to myself.

I carefully pick up the book and place it lovingly on the podium in my office, I always put a book there when I'm planning to read it, and slip the card into my desk before putting the box aside. I let out another quiet laugh and sit to begin grading.

It only takes about ten minutes; there were only three essays to mark, before I loose myself in my own thoughts. The Slytherins and Hufflepuffs are the most supportive of us. Severus finds it hilarious that my fellow Gryffindors prefer to ignore the relationship and the Ravenclaws prefer to spend their time concerning other things. I shrug as I decide to head to the kitchens for some tea.

After warding my office, I walk down the hallways on my way to the kitchens. The elves don't mind me being there anymore, since I've reassured them that I've stopped trying to free them. I explained that I was angry at those who mistreated elves and due to that I fell a little out of hand with the whole S.P.E.W. thing. They like me again now that I've told them that.

I smile once I reach the right painting and tickle the pear in order for the handle to appear. I walk into the kitchens and I'm greeted by the elves.

"Hello, I was wondering if I could please have some tea?" I ask kindly, I refuse to be rude to a house elf.

Their faces stretch with grins as they eagerly set about making a pot of tea. I sit in the kitchens for about twenty minutes, chatting with the elves, and compliment them on the tea before I go. The beams of happiness that are sent my way cause a smile to appear on my face as well. I sigh contently as I leave, heading towards my classroom to prepare for my lesson.

ooo

"Try that again in my class Mr Adias, I dare you" I say without emotion to a student in my class. He thought it would be funny to attempt to misuse a _veriverto _spell. "That spell is to turn animals into water goblets, it's not designed to turn people into water goblets" I remind him with a disapproving look.

"Yes Professor" he smirks.

I narrow my eyes. "Detention" I say dangerously. "With Mr Filch"

That whips the smirk off is face, "Bbbuuuttt" he splutters. "But it's Quidditch this afternoon!"

"You should have thought of that before you decided to act like a dunderhead" my voice still low and threating.

Mr Adias, along with the rest of the class freezes at my tone. I know I sound a bit like Severus right now but even I have my limits when it comes to the safety of my students.

"Does anyone else wish to argue with me? I may be a former student of Hogwarts, I may be a Gryffindor, I may be 'the smart one' of The Golden Trio, I may be called a war hero, but one thing I'm not is a pushover. I refuse to be bossed around and guilt tripped by a student. I believe you have failed to realise that I am not a huge fan of Quidditch and it doesn't matter to me in the slightest if you miss a Quidditch game. In fact, if you had bothered to listen to Madame Hooch this morning, you'd know that today's game isn't really a proper game, it's just a training session." Yep he's fired me up. "And with that" I announce to the entire class as I walk to stand behind my desk. "Your homework tonight is an essay on how to correctly execute the _veriverto _spell along with the consequences with using that spell on a person which is to be two rolls of parchment long. Class dismissed."

With that, the students pack up their things and leave my classroom, looks of respect for me on their faces.

"If you don't go to your detention Mr Adias, I will know and you will be in big trouble" I call out.

Once the last of the students have left, I sink into my chair and sigh. I sit still for a few minutes before waving my wand, sending all the birds and frogs and rats that were used in today's lesson back into their respective cages and making sure that they're unharmed and giving them food and water. Once that's all sorted I send a message to Filch to inform him of the detention.

Satisfied that I've done everything, I gather my things and head back to my office. As I walk down the corridors, I cast a quick tempus charm to check how much time I have before Harry gets here.

"Professor" I hear to my left. I turn my head, see Severus and smile.

"Good afternoon Professor Snape, I trust you've had a pleasant day?" I ask as I feel my headache slip away as I breathe in the smell of herbs and potions fumes that cling to his robes as they billow behind him on our way to my office.

"My day has been reasonable thank you" he replies, trying to conceal a smile.

I roll my eyes and sigh. "You heard about Mr Adias?" I ask, knowing quite easily that he has.

"Yes" he chuckles. "It would seem that I have rubbed off on you" he remarks, his eyes giving away how funny he truly finds the situation.

"Hardy har har" I say sarcastically as I un-ward my office and open the door. "He had it coming to him, I don't play favourites."

He grants me a small smile which grows as he notices the book. I give him a kiss in thanks for the present, since I know that verbal 'thankyou's' are still a little uncomfortable for him to hear.

He gently stokes my cheek and I smile. "Tea?" I ask. He nods and I send a note to the kitchens using my fireplace, minutes later a tray with a teapot, cups, milk and sugar appear in a flash of green flame.

"How long until we're joined by Mr Potter?" Severus asks as he sits down with his tea cup.

"Only a few minutes" I say as I put away some parchment and sip my own tea. I look up as I hear a knock. "Ask and you shall receive" I remark as I go to open the door. "Hello Harry."

"Hey Hermione, Professor Snape" Harry greets. Harry hugs me and shakes Severus' hand. Harry seems to be our second biggest cheer leader, the first being Alice.

"Have a seat Harry" I say with a smile as I ward the door.

Harry raises his eyebrow at me. "Paranoid Mione?"

I shrug and allow him to see just how tired I'm feeling. "After the day I've had, that last thing I need is your fan club."

Harry looks to Severus with concern in his eyes and Severus proceeds to explain.

"Geezs, sorry you had a bad end to your day. If you look on the bright side, I doubt anyone will try that again" he says comfortingly as I sit down next to the two of them. I nod.

Harry chats with us for the remainder of the afternoon, not even wanting to watch the Quidditch. He fills us in on all of the latest gossip. Ron, it turns out, is pissed that Harry isn't taking his side in all of this. He keeps refusing to consider that I actually like Severus, and it's escalated to the point that even Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy and George tell him to shut up whenever he starts to rant. The other male Weasleys were annoyed at Ron for cheating on me to begin with, but they refuse to deny me a shot at being happy and are trying to keep an open mind. I smiled when Harry said that. Molly is still feeling completely ashamed at pressuring me to move into the Burrow. Apparently, she had a good long think and has now realised that Ron and I hadn't been together for ages prior to me breaking down in my apartment a couple of months ago. Ginny was shocked at what Harry had said and has since seen a professional at St Mungo's, who has helped her to realise that she's experiencing mild depression that has been brought on by the pregnancy. She feels that others are seeing her as merely a baby making machine and that others prefer to talk to her husband and son rather than her. She has been using a technique where, whenever she feels insecure, she writes down what has make her feel bad and then she re-reads it. Harry went on to say that when Ginny re-reads what she has written she feels silly for letting such little things make her feel insecure. It's really helping her. Teddy is going through another grow spurt and is starting to show signs of magic, and Harry's work in the Auror department has hit a quiet patch after the apprehension of a few dark wizards.

"I'm actually happy for the break, I never thought I would see the day that I would enjoy doing paperwork for once" Harry finishes. The three of us chuckle and stand as we notice the time.

"Are you staying for dinner Harry?" I ask. "I'm sure that no one would mind."

"Hermione is right" Severus adds. "Minerva would no doubt love to catch up with you, along with the others."

"Sure why not" he agrees. "Ginny is with Molly tonight so I'll just send a quick patronus to make sure it's fine and then I will see you two there."

Severus and I nod before the three of us leave my office and part ways. Harry heads outside while Severus and I head towards the Great Hall.

ooo

Harry did end up joining us, to the whole schools delight (even the Slytherins), and at his obvious support of Severus and I, the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws have decided that our relationship must be okay and now we have the complete support of the school. Severus even asked Harry why his owl Annabella seemed to like me so much.

"I asked the shop owner about that and he said it's because of Hermione's natural acceptance. He knew the woman that Mione bought Crookshanks off and even remembers the fur ball" I roll my eyes at that comment.

"Then I'm sure that Annabella will come to like Severus as well, since Crooks loves him" I say as I sip on my water.

"And do you Hermione?" Harry asks all of a sudden. The entire hall seems to have gone quiet, the nosey bunch.

"If you're asking whether or not I love Severus, the answer is yes. I love Severus Snape and I'm also in love with Severus Snape" I reply, completely unfazed.

"There's a difference?" asks Neville. He usually stays well away from us but an emergency with the mandrakes in the fourth year Herbology class he was teaching caused him to be late.

"Yes Neville" I reply. "There is a difference. For example, I love Harry but I love him like a brother, I'm not IN love with him, whereas I'm in love with Severus."

"But you said you loved him and were IN love with him?" Neville continues confused.

"Because when I started to love Severus it was a friend kind of love that grew into a romantic kind of love. We're friends as well as romantic partners Neville. Oh don't give me that look" I say as Neville continues to look confused. "When you fall in love with someone, you'll understand. The rest of you can go back to your lives now" I add to the rest of the Hall.

The chatter that is commonly found in the great room returns far too suddenly, giving away the embarrassment of the students as being so obvious about their eavesdropping.

A ripple of laughter goes through the Professors table. "You appear to have made a lasting impression on all of the students dear", Madame Hooch remarks with a grin. A faint blush creeps onto my cheeks. She smiles wider and goes back to her meal.

"I love and am in love with you too Hermione" Severus whispers in my ear before kissing my cheek. I smile at him and gently squeeze his hand in response.

ooo

"I really am happy for the two of you" Harry reminds us as we stand at the apparition point. "It might take a while before I drop the whole 'Professor' thing though" he adds to Severus.

"Likewise Mr Potter, likewise" Severus admits sincerely.

"Please send my regards to Molly and Ginny" I say with a hesitant smile.

"Are you sure Mione?" Harry asks, concerned.

I sigh as I reply. "I'm just extending an olive branch, a chance to mend bridges."

"Sure Mione, I'll pass along the message" he smiles, before he turns on the spot and vanishes with a pop.

I turn to Severus with a smile of my own. "Another day, another battle won. But I fear it will be a while before the possibility of winning the war."

He responds with a deep chuckle and wraps an arm around my waist. "Yes I suppose so, yours or mine?" he asks.

"Yours" I reply instantly. "I don't want to have to deal with any owls that I might receive, or any pushy students that want extra lessons."

"Remind you of anyone?" he asks me teasingly.

"Seeevvv" I whine. "I never asked for extra lessons" I add, not caring if I sound irritating.

He stops me from walking, checks to see if anyone is watching and kisses me very sweetly, earning him a happy smile from me.

We start to walk towards his personal chambers, talking about things that weren't really that private, just in case anyone was within hearing range.

"I've never asked before, do you have your own owl?" I ask curiously.

"Currently, no I don't. I did when I was younger though" he answers. "And you? I know you have Crookshanks but do you have an owl?"

"I don't actually, I've been meaning to obtain one but whenever I go to the pet emporium, none of the owls seem to connect with me" I say. Then I smile "I guess I'm waiting for my own Annabella."

He chuckles "I guess so." He then seems to go quiet and I look and him with a puzzled expression. He turns to me, an almost nervous expression. Anyone else wouldn't have noticed the subtle changes in his face, but he's allowed me to get to know him. "Would you ever consider sharing an owl with me?" he finally asks.

We've reached his chambers now and as he closes the door behind us I reply "Yes, I would."

His answering smile gives away just how much it means to him. We move to sit down in front of his fireplace, on his couch. As I take my shoes off, he makes up a pot of herbal tea.

"Do you have a preference when it comes to owls?" I ask as he places the tray carrying the tea on the small glass table in front of the couch.

"As long as they're efficient and easy to get along with, I don't really mind" he says, offering me a cup.

I take it. "That's the same with me." I take a sip and we sit in a cuddling manner, with me curled up on his right side and with his right arm securing me there.

"Severus" I begin and he looks down at me. "Do you think that my parents are going to be even angrier with me for being with you?"

"I hope not" he replies comfortingly. "You were saying that Alice had a similar thought before she married her husband?"

I nod. "She's a muggleborn too and she told me that her husband was seventeen years older than her" I confirm.

"How did she handle the situation?"

"She refused to speak with her parents for months and they only began to realise that they had better like the relationship when they received a letter informing them of the wedding, a courtesy head up" I say. "I'm willing to go through the same thing. I refuse to be guilt tripped by them on this. The whole memory thing was years ago and I'm done losing sleep over their disapproval."

Severus begins to slowly draw circles on my waist with his thumb and I rest my head on his shoulder.

"You'd really do that?" he asks softly and I nod in response.

"They need to get over themselves. I plan on sending them a letter tomorrow telling them and then it's their move."

He presses a kiss to my hair. "Would you like to meet my Mother?" he asks.

I raise my head to look into his eyes and he looks relieved at my smile. "Absolutely! Of course I would" I beam.

He chuckles and we share a kiss before he says "I'll send her an owl in the morning to ask when she has free time and then we'll set a date. How does that sound?"

"Fabulous" I reply, to which he replies with another soft laugh.

We spend the next few hours talking, cuddling and kissing. He tells me about his mother Eileen and how she has been pestering him, wanting information about me and at my slightly worried look, he reminds me that she married a muggle and won't care in the slightest that I'm a muggleborn. We talk of the situation with Molly and Ginny and he encourages me to send them owls in the morning.

Before we know it, it's time for us to make our rounds and we share another kiss (that may or may not have lasted for quite a number of minutes) as a way of saying 'goodnight' as our rounds take place in different parts of the castle. We go our separate ways and I couldn't stop the smile on my face if I tried. My rounds go well with only a few students out due to serving detention, Mr Adias among them, and it felt as though barely five minutes had passed before I was standing in front of my chambers, close to the library, and having a chat with the painting, one of the newest to the castle , that conceals it.

"How was your day Sophia?" I ask the goddess, her golden strapless gown flowing from her waist, the fabric seeming to shimmer in the moonlight of the canvas, adding to the silhouette of her slim figure and long dark curly hair.

"Quite nice, thank you Hermione" she replies as she strokes the silver neck of her Pegasus companion. "Dreams and I spent the afternoon visiting those on the fourth floor and many students commented on how they found our appearances quite beautiful" she adds, her voice full of pride.

I smile as I answer "And why wouldn't they, you make such a stunning pair. To be honest" I continue slightly embarrassed "I didn't think you'd accept to be the guardian of my chambers"

Sophia lets out a bell-like laugh and Dreams lets out a delighted whinny. "Oh Hermione" she exclaims happily. "We hope to be your guardian for as long as possible. However, with how things are with you and Professor Snape, you may not need our services for much longer."

She giggles at my blush. "If that day comes Sophia, I will always find the time to talk with you" I say genuinely.

"We'd like that" she says with a radiant smile. "Password?" she asks with a wink.

I wait for the ghost of Professor Binns to pass (although he doesn't look in my direction), before I reply "Half-Blood Prince."

She smiles and winks at me again, Dreams blinking at me with her stunning blue eyes before they swing the canvas open and I walk through into my chambers.

I look around with a contented smile. There are no other wizard paintings in here and the few wizard photos I have are in my kitchen. I will admit that those which have Ron in them are packed away in boxes with silencing charms on them, I don't want him hearing anything and I'm tempted to get rid of them altogether, the memories too painful to be reminded of.

My walls have been painted a soft lagoon blue, with a strip of dark sapphire blue along the very top and bottom of the walls. My furniture is cherry wood and there're a couple of flat rugs of varying shapes and sizes scattered about. Of course I have a mini library, filled with all my favourites from both the muggle and wizarding worlds. In addition, I also have a spacious kitchen, inviting living room (complete with fireplace) and a spare bathroom.

I walk into my bedroom and gather all that I need in order to complete my nightly routine. My bedroom consists of my double door wardrobe, dressing table, a small bookshelf and a nice comfy queen sized canopy bed. I continue into what could be my favourite room, second to my library, my en suite bathroom. Large shower with space for all the essentials and lovely water pressure, a claw foot bath tub that you could teach a small child to swim in, along with a large mirror, sink and a couple of cabinets which contain spare bathroom stuff and towels.

An hour later, I feel refreshed and relaxed. I place my hair, no longer frizzy, into a braid that hangs down my back and get dressed in my pyjamas that consist of plain black pants and a singlet (that has a built in fabric bra, no underwire) which is grey with the words 'Like a Boss' written across it.

I check the time and notice that I can afford to stay up a little longer, so I decide to write the letters that I plan to send in the morning. It doesn't take long before the three letters are complete and I'm re-reading them to ensure that nothing has been left out.

Dear Mum and Dad,

I haven't written in a couple of months like you asked. Severus and I are still together and it would mean a lot to me if you would agree to meet him. He really is important to me. I can easily see myself spending the rest of my life with him. I know that you disapprove of him because he's a wizard and because he is fifteen years older than me but I'd like you to know that I know someone who was like me. She was a witch in a family that were not magical, like us and she fell in love with a wizard that was more than ten years older than her, like me. Her parents didn't like it and so she simply refused to speak to them. They never would have known anything more about her except that she send them a letter, telling of her engagement and the details of what the wedding was going to be. I don't want that to happen to us but I will stop all communication with the two of you if you can't at least try and realise that Severus makes me happy. I refuse to be guilt tripped by you anymore. I've apologised about the whole memory thing but if you can't let it go by now then I'm done trying. It's been nine years and I'm done losing sleep over trying to make up with you. I'm a twenty-seven year old woman, I've found a man who makes me happy and who cares for me so much that I can tell just from one glance that he sends my way. I'm willing to talk with you but not if you're going to bite my head off again. The ball is now in your court, it's your move. Please send me a letter to tell me if I should bother continuing to be in your lives. I still love you and I always will.

From your ONLY CHILD,

Hermione.

Dear Molly,

I hope you're well. I was hoping that we could get together and move past this whole misunderstanding. You've been an important part of my life and I would hate to lose that. I've always valued your advice and consider you to be like an aunt to me. If you'd like to get together and have a chat, I'd be more than willing.

From Hermione.

Dear Ginny,

Harry told me of you seeing a professional at St Mungo's. I'm really proud of you for being strong enough to admit that you might need some help and hearing that you're benefiting from it makes me really happy for you. I was hoping that we could chat and maybe become friends again. I miss our talks, and having another girl to talk to about things that you just cannot say to a man. I know you aren't exactly thrilled about me being with Severus but he really does make me happy, in a way that Ron could never even hope to. I hope we can sort this out.

From Hermione.

I nod, satisfied with what I've written and feeling a lot better now that it's out of my head. I put them in separate envelopes and write their names on the front, double checking that the right letter is in the right envelope. Once that's done, I put them on my coffee table and go to bed.

ooo

I wake up the next morning after having a good night's sleep. I go through my morning routine and get dressed in my teaching robes before grabbing the letters and heading to where all the schools owls rest when there're not flying around. I make sure that I take a few owl treats. An offering never goes unnoticed and walk across the school grounds.

Upon reaching my destination, it's clear that most of the owls are still asleep.

"I apologise for disturbing you, especially at this hour of the morning, but I was wondering if any of you would be willing to deliver some letters for me?" I ask softly, showing the sleepy birds the three letters along with the owl treats.

I stand there for few minutes and am about to leave to try again later when a hoot alerts me to stop. I look up to see a large dark brown owl soar down and land on a perch in front of me before blinking at me. I offer a treat which it accepts.

"One of these is to Molly Weasley" the owl blinks in understanding. "One is to Ginevra Potter" again the bird blinks. "The third is to my parents, they're muggles" at this the bird seems to think. "What would you recommend?" I ask it.

"Should I give you the two that are for witches and send the one to my parents later?" The bird continues to contemplate my request and I offer another treat which it accepts. I wait a few minutes before offering the letters to Molly and Ginny. "The letters to the witches first?" I ask it.

It blinks and hoots so I give it another owl treat before giving it the two letters. "If you're a little too tired when you reach the Weasley residence, please just leave the letter addressed to Mrs Potter with Mrs Weasley. I'd rather that you can comfortably return here than to be flying with fatigue." The owl seems happy with this arrangement, blinks once more and takes off.

"I'll send this later" I say to myself in regards to the last letter but another hoot causes me to look up. Another owl, a light grey one comes down from is roosting spot to perch in front of me. "Would you deliver this for me?" I ask kindly, and the owl hoots in respond. I offer it my last owl treat, which it accepts before it also accepts the letter. I tell the owl where to find my parents' house and once it has its destination, the owl takes off.

"Thank you for your time" I say to the rest of the owls before I head off to the Great Hall for breakfast.

ooo

"There you are Hermione, I was wondering where you were" McGonagall says as I sit down at the Professors' table.

I look to her with a confused expression. "Headmistress, I'm always here at this time" I inform her.

She looks away, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Well it was just that Severus arrived a while ago and…well…err" she stutters.

"Minerva, we aren't sharing chambers" Severus gently says from his seat next to me.

Her head whips around to look at us. "But when I went looking for Hermione last night, the portrait in front of her chambers said that she was with you."

"Yes I was in Severus' chambers last night but only until we had to go on our rounds. After that I returned to my own chambers and Severus returned to his."

The headmistress, who is looking rather flustered, is saved from answering when the owls arrive with the morning post, with two owls landing in from of me.

"Good morning" I say to the pair, offering them both pumpkin juice and bacon rind before they start to argue. I take the letters from their beaks and they eat the offered food and sip at the drink before taking flight.

"Mrs Weasley and Mrs Potter?" Severus asks me, knowing that I had sent letters earlier this morning.

"Yeah" I say distractedly, as I read their responses. "Molly, Ginny and Harry have invited us to the Burrow this weekend to sort things out" I tell him once I've finished reading both. "Would you be willing to go?"

"Of course" he replies easily, as an owl lands in front of him.

I write that we'll both be at the Burrow that weekend on a spare piece of parchment, making a note to myself to send via floo later on.

"What lessons do you have today Hermione?" Severus asks suddenly.

"Umm, I have my seventh years first up and then nothing until sixth period when I have my first years and that's it" I reply, curiously.

"Later" he says quickly, quietly and I nod in understanding. It was clearly about something VERY personal.

The rest of breakfast goes without anything much exciting happening, quite a dull breakfast by Hogwarts standards. Minerva makes a few general announcements, and then it was time to move off.

"Meet me in my chambers at lunch?" Severus asks quickly and quietly before we all leave. I nod yes and we go to our lessons.

Something in his voice makes me a little nervous. Something bad has happened, something bad is going to happen or he's feeling really worried about asking something. It's of a personal nature, that's for sure. I just hope that it doesn't cause me to be too distracted today.

ooo

I manage to get through the morning, almost sprinting to Severus' chambers once lunch time rolled around. I take every short cut and every secret passage that I can think of to avoid everyone. He opens his door and I rush inside, in a movement so quick, only a ghost could have moved faster.

"Sev" I begin. "You scared me at breakfast, is everything okay?" I ask in a worried tone.

He turns around in a swirl of black robes and takes me in his arms. He presses a kiss to my hair and I return his embrace and breathe in the aromatic scent that has embedded itself in the fabric of his robes.

"I never meant to scare you Hermione" he murmurs into my curls. I lean my head back and look up into his eyes. "Here, read this" he says as he moves away and hands me a letter, the one he received this morning.

I take the letter gently, as if it could break just by being touched, and begin to read the elegant script.

_My Dear Severus,  
>It brings me such joy to know that you have found someone that you clearly care for. I long to meet this young woman and I ask when you and Hermione would consider coming and staying with me in Prince Manor. I understand that you may not have spare time, however, what about the next school break? I'm unsure of what else to say for all I can think of is meeting Hermione. Please respond as soon as possible, I eagerly await it.<em>

_Love always,_

_Mum xx_

I look up, not really knowing how to respond. She wants to meet me, and by the sounds of it, she wants to meet me within the second.

"Sev, I don't know how to respond. I'd love to meet your Mother, but with the way you're acting, it seems that you don't really want me to" I reply honestly.

He visibly relaxes and says "I'm trying to be more open, I really am. It's still a little hard for me to gauge how others might react."

I carefully place the letter down on the table and kiss him gently. "You have practically made yourself an open book just for me. I don't want you to change who you are Sev" I say softly, gently stroking his cheek.

"It means a lot to me to hear you say that" he admits.

"I love you because you're you. It's cheesy I know, but it's the truth."

Having that sorted, we sit down and have lunch. We both agree that staying at Prince Manor for the next school break is a great idea and make the necessary arrangements. Severus writes a response to his Mother and I add my own little message to the end.

"See you at dinner?" I ask, to which he smiles and nods. We share another kiss before he goes off to his third years and I go to my office to do some marking.

Due to being a speedy worker, I soon found myself running out of homework to grade and essays to mark. I needed have worried though for as soon as I put my quill down, there was a knock at my door.

"Professor Granger?" comes a little voice.

"Come in Gracie" I call out, already knowing what the conversation will be.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Not at all, what is it?"

"The essay on the _veriverto_ spell, I was wondering if you could check my draft?"

I nod and she brings the rolls of parchment to me. I indicate for her to sit and begin to read.

ooo

"Time flies when you're having fun" I say sarcastically as Ron leaves in a huff. It takes him at least five tries before he manages to apparate to who knows where.

Severus and I had been at the Burrow for about an hour before his royal highness showed up and decided to start and argument. Needless to say, he lost that argument. It was an easy win for me though, his main argument was that Severus had been in love with Harry's mum. Even Harry thought it was pitiful, and Ron decided that his presence would be more appreciated elsewhere once Severus told him flat out that he honestly didn't think that he and Lily wouldn't have been truly happy with each other. They didn't have the right things in common and that her marrying James was the better option for her, even though he did mourn the loss of his friend for all those years.

"Ignore him Mione, he just can't accept that you're happy. Admittedly it's still a little strange for us but we're managing to keep open minds" Ginny says in a tired voice, baby number two sapping away most of her energy nowadays.

"I appreciate that Ginny, you look like you're going to explode though. Why don't we go back inside so you can sit down" I reply.

She smiles at me and we're joined inside the burrow with Severus, Harry, Molly, Arthur, Bill, Fleur and Potter baby number one, James.

"How long do you have to go?" I ask Ginny once everyone has found a seat.

"Any day now" she replies. "I'm not sure if James is too happy about that though."

James isn't really paying attention, he's too busy with his toys to notice.

"You're a very capable witch and an even more capable Mother, I'm sure you'll be fine" Severus admits softly.

Ginny beams at his compliment, clearly won over. The others seem pleasantly surprised by his comment as well. Admittedly, they were still used to the stern, moody potions professor of Hogwarts and not who he really was.

"Um, Severus?" Harry suddenly asks, looking pretty uncomfortable. Severus looks at him curiously. "Um, well, err, the thing is… you know what, never mind."

I don't think I've ever seen him look so awkward. However Severus seems to know what he was going to ask and surprises everyone, including me, when he asks in a soft voice, "Would you like to hear about your Mum Harry?"

Harry simply nods quietly and Severus gives a rare, well not rare for me, smile.

"Anything in particular?" he asks, clearly willing to tell anything.

"What was she like before Hogwarts?" Harry finally asked.

Severus gives a small smile and relaxed into his seat. For the next two hours Severus and Harry talk about Lily, smiling and laughing the entire time. The rest of us listened as well, adding to the conversation sometimes and laughing along with them. We continue like that until James decides to let us know that he still exists. He begins to make his way to Ginny, wanting to be picked up but not understanding that she can't hold him right now, causing Ginny looks up at me, a look of desperation and guilt on her face.

"James" I say in sing-song voice, winning his attention and I place my hands behind my back. "What have I got?" I ask in an animated voice.

Happy that he has someone paying him attention, James jumps in full force into the game, trying to see what I have in my hands (which is nothing but he doesn't know that). But when he tries to go behind me I jump up and grin.

"Can't catch me" I say cheekily as I begin to skip around the room.

James lets out the most adorable giggle and follows me as fast as his little legs will let him. I join in with his giggles and so does everyone else at my behaviour. He continues to chase me and after a while I can see he's getting tired. I decided to wrap up my little game, including ensuring that I actually had something in my hands, choosing a little plush hippogriff doll to surprise him with.

While James looks for me, I hide behind the couch. Taking out my wand, I transfigure a piece of spare parchment that I had in the pocket of my jeans into the surprise before being REALLY obvious about where I was. It only takes a few seconds before he "catches" me and I surrender the toy. James claps his hands and laughs happily before taking the toy and hugging it to his little body.

"Aww, that's so cute" Ginny coos, her eyes sparkling.

I smile and pick up James before going and standing near my original seat. James, quite happy with his victory, cuddles his prize and rests his head on my shoulder and I gently sway my body, lulling him to sleep instinctively.

"I'll be back" I say softly, not wanting to wake the little guy.

I didn't see or hear any responses as I began to walk to the spare baby room to lie James down so that he could have a nap. James was more than happy to let me change him into his pyjamas and tuck him in. Once he was settled and asleep, with his hippogriff, I returned to the living room where everyone was chatting about baby stuff. Honestly, Severus didn't look to uncomfortable but he was definitely happy to have me back in the room.

"So do you two have any plans for the next school break?" Molly asks Severus and I.

"Yes, my Mother has invited us to stay with her for the duration of the holidays" Severus replies, a faint smile on his face. "She'll probably insist that I need a haircut" he adds with a laugh.

We all join in with his laughter before we end up talking for another couple of hours and begin to head home.

ooo

The following Wednesday, Annabella lands in front me during breakfast with a small piece of parchment attached to her leg. As she flies off I read it and let out a gasp.

"Hermione?" Minerva asks, alarmed at my shocked, almost panicked verbalisation.

I ignore her, give the parchment to Severus, stand up and us two of my fingers to whistle. However I'm ignored.

"Bloody hell" I say to no one in particular. I take a deep breath before shouting "OI! PAY ATTENTION!"

In mere nano seconds the hall is dead silent and all eyes are on me, some eyes filled with fear since I never shouted.

"Now that I have your undivided attention, I'm cancelling all of my lessons today. If you have a lesson today, look on the board of the classroom and you will find reminders of work that you still need to complete, don't even dare to complain. If you try, then ask Mr Adias what I'll do" I finish as I stand and rush out of the hall.

As I round the corner, I hear Severus telling his students something similar but all I can focus on is the piece of parchment that I grabbed from in front of Severus after he had read it, and what Arthur Weasley had written.

Ginny slipped on the kitchen floor and the sudden fall has caused her to go into labour. The baby is in distress and she's asking for you AND Severus. Please meet us in St Mungo's, she won't listen to any of us.

From everyone.

As I reach my chambers, Sophia opens up straight away at my expression, not waiting for the password. I nod in thanks and rush to pack a few things in case I need to stay away for a couple of nights. As I'm gathering my toiletries I hear Sophia talking to someone that isn't Dreams.

"Is Hermione in there?" I hear Severus ask, his usually calm voice slightly shaken.

"Yes she is Professor Snape, but I cannot permit you to enter unless you know the password. I'm so sorry!" Sophia exclaims, clearly distressed and sounding on the verge of tears.

I need him here with me so I call out "Sophia is anyone else within hearing range?"

"No Hermione, Password?" Sophia replies, relived that I'm not angry as some might be.

I take a deep breath then call out "Half-Blood Prince" in a clear voice.

Sure enough, I hear her swing back and let Severus in.

"I'm down the hall to the right" I say to Severus loudly.

I hear his footsteps come my way as Sophia closes the entrance and leaves her canvas with Dreams.

"Good Luck" she says in farewell, accompanied by a neigh from Dreams.

"Hermione?" Severus asks from the door of my bedroom.

"Yeah?" I reply, a little out of breath from running to my chambers as I come out of my en suite and continue to pack.

"I'll remark on your password later, but for now, are you planning on letting the Potters and Weasleys know you've received their message." He says to me, trying to calm me at the same time.

I spin around and look at him, realisation dawning on my face. "Shoot" I mutter.

"Shhh, calm down. I'll send them a patronus while you finish packing. How does that sound?" he says, his smooth voice relieving me of some agitation.

I nod, hug him and continue to gather my things together as he casts his patronus, no longer a doe, now a fox, and it flies off to deliver his message. Once he does that he follows me to the living room. While there I grab some scent infused towels that have always managed to calm Ginny, Severus meanwhile stands in the middle of the room.

"Winky!" he calls out, causing the house elf to appear in front of him with a curtsy.

"Yes Professor Snape? How is it that Winky can help sir?" she asks in her usual squeaky voice.

"Can you please bring me the brown travelling bag that is in the closest of my chambers to me? I fear that if I leave Professor Granger by herself she may become distressed." He asks kindly.

"Absolutely sir!" Winky replies seriously before snapping her fingers and disappearing with a crack.

Only seconds later does she appear once more with the bag, and Severus quickly goes through it to make sure everything is there.

"Thank you Winky, I appreciate this a lot." He says kindly, to which she beams at him before returning to whatever she was doing before being called.

"I always have a bag packed in case of emergencies" he says by way of explanation.

I nod and reach for his hand while holding my bag in the other. He takes it along with his own bag and together we use my fireplace to go to the headmistresses' office.

"Don't get out, it's all set" Minerva says once we appear.

I nod once more before saying "St Mungo's" as Minerva throws in some floo powder into the fireplace.

ooo

We arrive at St Mungo's and Severus shrinks his bag before placing in an inside pocket of his robes. I do the same after I've removed an extra little bag that contains all the scented items. Severus adds my bag to his in his pocket and we head towards the mediwitch at the desk.

"How may I help?" she asks.

"We need to know which room Ginevra Potter is in, we were told that she's asking for the two of us" I reply, fidgeting slightly due to my nerves.

"Of Course!" she exclaims. "Professor Snape, Professor Granger, please follow me" she says as she waves another mediwitch to be behind the desk while she leads us to the private rooms.

"Ginny dear please try to calm yourself" I hear someone, probably a midwife, say.

The mediwitch waves for us to go straight in and everyone turns and relaxes in relief at our arrival.

"Hermione, please make that pain go away!" Ginny begs to me.

I give her a quick, sympathetic hug before turning to Severus. "Can I please have the bag?" I ask and he gives it to me immediately.

I look through it and then look up to Ginny. "What sounds good, mint, strawberry, lavender, orange or chocolate?" I ask the distressed woman.

She thinks for a moment. "Umm, mint" she manages to gasp out.

I nod and get out a towel that is infused with mint before giving it to the midwife. Lina, as her name tag says, then dampens it in cool water before taking of the old towel and replacing it with the mint smelling towel on Ginny's forehead. By some miracle, she seems to relax instantly, gaining Harry and Molly's attention. Obviously, it's the first thing to be able to calm her down in some time, they must be exhausted by now but then again, Ginny is the one trying to give birth.

"You wouldn't happen to have mint tea in that little bag of yours would you?" Lina asks me.

I nod and pull out a box of mint herbal tea. She takes it gladly and hands it to Molly, not only to make Ginny a cup of tea but to give the Weasley matriarch something to do.

The tea and towel do their job and in about ten minutes, Ginny is relaxed enough for the midwife to massage her abdomen in order to move the baby into the right position. Before we know it, Potter baby number two has given Ginny a break and is ready to enter the world. So with Harry and Molly by her side, Severus and I leave the room and go to the waiting room to sit with Arthur, Bill, Fleur, George and Ronald.

"How is she?" Arthur asks, concern on his face.

"She's fine now, the baby is in the right position and she's ready to bring the next Potter into the world" I reply, removing both his fears and the fears of the others in the room.

He nods gratefully and slumps down in the plastic hospital chair. Poor guy, he looks like he's been stressing more than Molly and Harry combined and that is saying something.

"What ended up working?" Bill asks, curious as to what I could do that his mother and Harry couldn't.

"Scented towels and flavoured tea" I reply as I sit down, Severus sitting down next to me.

Fleur hums and nods at me in understanding and Bill looks as though he seems to understand but not completely. While Fleur quietly explains to Bill, Arthur and George, Ron turns to me. I brace myself for the comment that is bound to come out of his mouth, Severus stiffing as he notices my posture. Sure enough, Ron prepares himself before beginning.

"And since when is Snape a member of this family? Last time I checked, since when are YOU a member of this family?" he sneers at me, I have to place my hand on Severus' arm to preventing him from cursing Ron to an early grave. Why does he have to act like this? Is his really so self-absorbed that he assumes that I can no longer have anything to do with the Weasley's just because I broke up with him? Well that's just tough luck.

"Severus and I are here because Ginny asked for us to be here" I reply easily before my voice takes on an acidic tone. "Why are YOU here? Last time I checked, you told Ginny and Harry that you wouldn't have anything to do with them until they never spoke to me again" I bite with all the malice that I can muster. "Which is complete and utter bullshit by the way, Ginny is one of my closest girlfriends and Harry has been one of my best friends since first year at Hogwarts as you well know. So what if you met him first? At least he isn't trying to ruin my happiness. Our relationship never would have worked, with or without your infidelity. So I like to wear baggy clothes most of the time, big deal."

Ron's only response is to become red in the face. He doesn't have a chance to reply with a verbal assault as George punches him in the shoulder and hisses at him to "stop being such a whiny git".

After that, Ron just sulks like a spoilt child.

"That boy is getting on my last nerve" Severus murmurs in my ear as he pulls me into his embrace.

I nod in agreement, a frown on my face as I rest my head on his shoulder and allow him to soothe my frazzled nerves. I never liked fighting. Fleur smiles at how close we are and remarks on how cute we are in her mystical French accent.

I blush ever so slightly, "thank you Fleur, that's very sweet of you" I reply with a shy smile.

"WHAT!" exclaims Ron in horror, "how can you say that? It's disgusting!"

His comment causes the _entire_ waiting room to fall silent. The doctors, nurses, patients and other families turn to stare. They all know exactly what Ron means and yet they look as though they're taking my side in this ordeal. Huh, maybe they really don't mind my relationship with Severus. I really should work on my self-esteem a little, I think I'll ask Sev about that later.

Meanwhile, Fleur's face has gone as still as stone, her stunning eyes blazing with fury. She's almost as scary as Molly when she goes into her 'Mama Bear' mode. She stands and walks over to Ron, who is still oblivious to his sister-in-law and is still glaring at me. Fleur raises her left hand, wedding ring shining from the ceiling lights and slaps Ron across that face with a resounding noise that echoes throughout the room.

Ron's cheek is bright red but he doesn't dare to retaliate as Bill has come to stand behind his wife in support.

Bill glares at his brother and says in a low menacing voice "don't even dare to think about saying anything or doing anything to my wife in response to her actions."

Now we're all standing, Severus in a protective stance in front of me. Ron has used up his lives and I know that if I don't calm Severus down, he will kill Ron and I don't want Severus in Azkaban.

"Sev" I say quietly so that only he can hear as I place my hand on his shoulder and step closer to him. "He's not worth it" I continue. "Why should we care what he thinks? He's just jealous that I care about you so much. I love you Sev. _You _not him, I love you" I finish before I kiss his lips softly, my eyes shining with love for him.

Unbeknownst to me, Molly had entered the room and had seen everything, including my open honest confession, although she couldn't hear me. I guess Ginny had a very short labour once the baby was in the right position.

"I can see it now" Molly says, surprising everybody to look at her, though she's only looking and Severus and I.

"Molly?" I ask, slightly confused as I keep my hand on Severus' arm in comfort.

"Now I see that you truly do love Severus, you wouldn't act the way you do if you didn't. What I'm trying to say is that I'm happy for you dear" she admits, a genuine smile on her face.

With one last squeeze to Severus' arm, I run to her and hug her as hard as I can. "Thank you" I whisper in her ear. "This really means a lot to me."

She responds by hugging me closer to her. When we release each other, Ron has been escorted out of St Mungo's by security, because he was upsetting a toddler and the parents complained, and all the others are standing behind us, with the rest of the hospital back to their own business now that Ron isn't being a nuisance.

I sigh and ask, "So, moving on. Potter baby number two here yet?"

Molly giggles, a maternal glow in her eyes. "Yes, a boy."

We stand there for a bit, just chatting animatedly about the new baby, Severus providing a small smile.

"Ginny and Harry said that you can come in two at a time" Molly said, happiness radiating.

"You and dad should go first" Bill says.

We nod in agreement and the two grandparents go to their daughter.

"Hey Mione" George says to me suddenly and I look at him. "Do you think you'll have any kids?" he asks me honestly.

I think about it for a minute, considering what my life could be like with kids. Then I think of what life would be like if Severus agreed to have kids and I couldn't stop the soft, dreamy smile that spread its way on my face if I tried.

"You know George, I really think that I'd like to. I'm not sure how I'd be as a mother, since I haven't had much experience with young children but yes I think might." I reply sincerely.

"Aww, itty bitty baby Snapes, I can see them now" he teases playfully with a wink.

"I can see them to" I reply with my own playful smirk.

George just smiles in response to my confession, so does Fleur and Bill. Severus has a soft expression on his face and I have a feeling that he could see them too. This causes me to blush ever so slightly from the attention.

"So who's going to see the new baby next?" I ask, wanting to change the subject. Fleur winks at me, and we decide that Severus and I will be the last to see the new baby.

We start to become quite curious from the looks that the others give us and when we walk into Ginny's room and see Harry giving her the baby, we find out.

"Hey you two" Ginny greets us with a tired but happy smile.

I return the smile, Severus' gives his usual small smile as we walk towards the bed and see the new baby asleep in his mother's arms.

"Oh Ginny, he's gorgeous" I exclaim quietly, not wanting to wake him up.

"I have to agree, he's adorable" Severus adds softly.

Harry and Ginny beam at us, pride radiating from them in waves before Ginny turns her head to face Harry and nods.

"Would you like to know his name?" Harry asks.

We nod yes.

Harry smiles, "His name is Albus Severus Potter. Named after two headmasters of Hogwarts, one of them the bravest man I've ever known" He says, looking straight at Severus.

Severus looks shocked but honoured. "Thank you Harry" he says with a smile.

ooo

Severus and I arrive back at Hogwarts in time for dinner, with permission from Ginny and Harry to announce the birth. We drop our bags in our respective chambers and enter the Great Hall just as the food appears from the kitchens. All eyes on us as we make our way to the staff table and turn to face everyone. Severus smiles at me but I continue to stand, ensuring that I have everyone's attention.

"I trust that everyone here has had a pleasant day. I have been given permission to inform all of you that three hours ago Harry and Ginevra Potter have welcomed their second child in to the world. They've had a boy and have named him Albus Severus Potter. They hope to be home with their eldest son tomorrow and are doing well" I say before sitting down and loud excited chatter resumes, with everyone talking about the new baby.

Severus and I chat with the other professors and after dinner we go back to my chambers. We're greeted by Sophia and Dreams.

"Hermione!" she exclaims happily, Dreams whinnying along. "Oh we're so glad you're back! Hello professor Snape" she adds with a smile.

"Good evening" Severus replies politely.

"Hello you two, may we go in?" I ask with an eyebrow raised.

Sophia gets a cheeky look on her face. "Now Professor Granger, you know the rules, password?"

I shake my head with a chuckle but play along and say "Half-Blood Prince."

She giggles and winks, Dreams nickering happily as they swing open and let us in.

"She will never let me live that down" I mutter as I go to unpack my things.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that" Severus says, an amused expression on his face.

"You're not mad?" I ask as I wave my wand and everything goes back to where it belongs before turning to face him.

He shakes his head no, a smile on his face. I can't help but blush slightly at his expression. After murmuring some nonsense about making some tea, I walk into my kitchen and roll my eyes at the wizarding photos that greet me as they give me knowing smirks.

I didn't realise that I had just been staring into space until I fell Severus wrap his arms around my waist and gently pull me so that my back was against his muscled chest.

"Are you okay Hermione?" he asks softly in my ear.

After a moment, I answer him. "Yes, I just wish you hadn't found out what my password until later on."

He kisses my cheek before saying, "I think it's cute of you to have it as your password. It's a reminder to me that you're not just going to run off and leave me one day."

I turn around in his arms, place my arms around his neck and look into his eyes. "The only way I'm leaving you is if you force me away Sev, and I hope that I'm never faced with that" I say quietly.

He gently stokes the side of my face and brings my head closer so that we can share a kiss.

"I love you too Hermione" he whispers against my lips.

All I can do is smile and kiss him again.

ooo

I grin with pride as I sit behind my desk, watching my students master the _veriverto_ spell. Even Mr Adias has changed his tune. Apparently my teaching has improved his marks considerably in comparison to his earlier years.

Speak of the devil, "Professor?" a voice asks, almost shakily.

"Yes Mr Adias?" I reply, curious.

"Could you please go through the correct way in which to hold the wand when performing this spell one more time?" he asks sheepishly.

"Of course" I reply easily as I stand and proceed to demonstrate once more.

Hours later and all the staff members of Hogwarts are laughing at a revelation. No students whatsoever have decided to stay at the school during the holidays.

"It's a first in Hogwarts history" Minerva says with a smile.

"Yes it definitely is" Severus agrees, with an amused look.

"And yet the pair of you aren't staying" Minerva states with an amused smirk. She's been doing that a lot lately, poking around in business that doesn't concern her at all. It's so frustrating.

"True" I say, completely unfazed by her comment. "Is there a problem with that? Or have you just been spending too much time with Dumbledore's portrait and have become far too nosey in the personal lives of everybody?" I add dryly.

She recoils in shock and slight embarrassment. "No, of course not, I only meant…"

"Just quit now while you're behind" Severus drawls.

"You two are being very secretive" pipes up the portrait of Dumbledore, eyes twinkling behind his spectacles and a fake knowing grin on his face, now that is just plain rude.

The reaction that he gets from me is the opposite of what he was expecting. I turn to look at him, my face blank and my eyes furious at his 'teasing'. I don't know if portraits can cower in fear, but he seems to be. He baited me so this time I'm going to bite and bite hard.

"You listen to me Dumbledore and you listen carefully" I begin, my voice low. "I don't care if I'm being disrespectful or not but for once in my life I would like to keep my life to myself. I have spent far too long with other people knowing every detail of what I'm doing at every instant. If Severus and I don't want to say where we're going or announce to the whole world what we do every second of the day, then you're going to have to deal with that. You don't get to dictate what we do anymore, got it?" I finish with a glare.

The other portraits sniff and turn away but gasp in shock when I show them a certain hand gesture comprising of only one finger.

"You're becoming quite like Severus" pipes up Madam Hooch, as she sips on her wine.

I shrug. "There are worse things" I reply casually. "Is it really so bad that I'm sick of people being pushy?"

Behind me, I hear Severus chuckle quietly and I just roll my eyes at my fellow staff members.

Madam Hooch winks at me with a smile before saying, "Good to see you can hold your own dear."

No one has time to say anything else as a patronus makes its way into the room. The sliver mist takes the form of an elegant swan, its wings open as though it was about to embrace someone, before dissolving into the air.

"Subtly was never her strong point" Severus remarks casually while the rest of us simply stare in wonder.

I look to Severus, confused as to what's going on.

"That was our queue to leave Hermione" he explains with a small smile, still conservative in front of his other co-workers.

"Oh" I say, understanding that the swan must have been the patronus of his Mother. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't suddenly filled with nervous tension, something that goes unnoticed by all except Severus.

"We must be off, enjoy your holidays" Severus says by way of goodbye, as I merely smile.

We make our way to his chambers and he takes both of our bags, shrinks them and places them into his inner coat pocket. I just roll my eyes and smile at that before taking his hand as we walk to the apparition point.

"You'll be fine Hermione" he murmurs into my hair as I clutch onto his arm, feeling the familiar sensation as we apparate to Prince Manor.

ooo

I feel breathless as we arrive at the gates of Prince Manor and not from the apparition itself. Prince Manor instantly reminds me of Pemberley, Mr Darcy's residence in Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice', the instant that it comes into view. The estate is gorgeous, and it's obvious that fairies are living in the rose bushes. Everything is groomed to perfection and Severus has to lead me to the door as I'm too shocked to walk unassisted.

As we arrive at the massive double doors of the estate, it opens by itself, recognising Severus' magic, to reveal the grand interior of the house.

"The course of true love never did run smooth" I quote nervously, feeling overwhelmed by everything in sight.

Severus wraps an arm around me, pulling me into my side in a comforting manner and pressing a kiss to my hair.

Before he can say anything a woman, who is surely Eileen Prince, comes down the grand staircase and makes her way over to us. She's as graceful as her patronus, stunning dark hair and soft features. Vibrant hazel eyes and a beautiful figure, her very essence projected her self-confidence and kindness, not to mention being living proof that witches and wizards age very slowly.

"My little prince" she says affectionately to Severus as she embraces him.

"Hello Mother" he replies, returning the hug and kissing her cheek. I can't help but smile at the exchange however, it causes me to long for the embrace of my own Mother.

"Oh!" she breathes as she sees me properly, her breathtaking face graced with a wide smile. "You _have_ to be Hermione! I'm Eileen."

Still feeling a little overwhelmed, I can only smile shyly and quietly say "yes."

Her eyes search my face, as though she doesn't know where to look first, finishing by looking directly into my eyes and seeing the longing. Her smile and eyes become softer, maternal understanding taking residence on her features.

"Oh sweetie" she says to me, her voice almost a coo. "It's okay darling" she adds softly as she gently pulls me into her arms.

I return the embrace gladly, now realising just how much I miss my Mum. She strokes my hair and encourages me to rest my head on her shoulder. I can feel Severus behind me, protectiveness radiating from him as he sees me allow all my emotions to show, realising that although I would block my parents from my life for him, I still miss them dearly.

Eileen squeezes me a little tighter before letting go and tucking my curls behind my ears.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you Hermione" she says with a radiant smile.

"Me too" I admit, returning her smile.

"Come, we must get to know each other" she insists. "Let's go to the living room."

I smile and nod, taking Severus' offered hand, causing Eileen to beam with happiness.

"Told you so" Severus whispers in my ear before kissing my cheek and following his Mum, leaving me standing in shock.

I can't help but laugh, "Sev!" I exclaim as I run towards him, laughter still erupting from my lungs.

He laughs as well, turning to catch me as I launch myself at him and claiming his lips in a kiss. We break apart only when we hear a flash go off and we turn to see Eileen with a small wizarding camera.

"Thank you" she says with a wink, before she heads towards the living room with a laugh of her own.

We laugh with her and once we sit down, we find that the portraits are all smiling at us.

"It's good to hear laughter in this house again" one of them says.

"Yes it is. I hope it becomes a permanent occurrence" Eileen agrees, elated as she sees how close Severus and I are sitting on the couch.

Severus rolls his eyes, good naturedly, while I snuggle into his side.

"So Hermione, would you please tell me about yourself?" Eileen asks sweetly.

"What would you like to know?" I reply, not sure what to say.

"You were Severus' student?" she says as a statement more than a question. When I nod she adds cheekily "did you give him any trouble?"

Severus and I laugh outright at her comment.

"To a certain extent, Harry was the main reason that we were always in trouble" I say, my voice slightly uncertain.

Eileen notices that I don't mention Ron at all and raises an eyebrow at Severus but he just shakes his head no while I pretend not to notice the exchange by looking around the room.

"Is it true that you're a Muggleborn dear?" one of the portraits asks.

I look towards the canvas that has spoken, the name plate reads Stellana Prince, and say "Yes ma'am."

She smiles kindly at me, "Please, call me Stella. Anyhow, I was merely curious about your heritage. Please don't think of me as someone who is against Muggleborns, you're all quite interesting to me. It must be nice to have a childhood without magic, a simple life. Whereas I was constantly worried that Eileen would set something on fire with her tantrums!" she exclaims, laughter erupting from her painted lips.

Severus and Eileen laugh while I giggle with Stella.

"Mother!" Eileen laughs. "I wasn't _that_ bad."

"Sure you weren't dear" Stella replies to her daughter with a wink.

The next five weeks spent at Prince Manor seem to fly by, full of laughter and fun. Eileen and I form a sort of mother-daughter bond, to Severus' delight. Seeing Severus with his Mum is something that I'll never tire of. The love that they have for each other, the protectiveness that they have for each other is just amazing to see. I feel so privileged to have been brought into the fold of this loving family so easily, to be trusted enough to see them without their guards up, and also to not be judged for being a Muggleborn when this is clearly a house of a long-lined Pureblood family. Severus had already told me that his Mother wouldn't care, since she married a Muggle herself but the fact that the house elves didn't mind and neither did the portraits of the Prince's who've long since passed, was a feeling that I'll never forget for as long as I live.

The three of us are sitting in the garden, at a table set that is placed in the middle of what seems to be an endless sea of roses, all various shapes, sizes and colours.

"You know Severus" Eileen says casually.

"No I don't know, but please continue" he teases gently.

I giggle and Eileen laughs at the comment.

"As I was saying" she says, still laughing a little. "You should seriously consider putting a ring on Hermione's finger, none of us are getting any younger and I want grandchildren" she finishes with a nod in my direction before sipping her lemonade.

Severus, who is holding my left hand, gently brushes his thumb over my third finger before replying, "I am seriously considering it."

Eileen winks at me and I just give her a shy but happy smile in return.

ooo

Before we know it, it's time to back to Hogwarts. Eileen walks us to the apparition point and gives both Severus and myself a hug before we leave.

"Promise to write to me Hermione" she says softly with a smile.

"Of course I will Eileen" I reply with a smile of my own.

"You too Severus" she adds on, only half-joking.

"You know I will Mum" he reassures her, kissing her cheek softly.

Eileen, along with the house elves, wave goodbye as Severus and I apparate back to Hogwarts.

I can't help but smile once we're back on the familiar grounds, the schools' crest greeting us at the gates.

"Never tickle a sleeping dragon" I say as we walk through, reading the Latin beneath the crest.

Severus just chuckles softly as we walk side by side to the front doors. We don't even reach the doors before Minerva opens them herself and greets us.

"You're back!" she exclaims happily. "How was your holiday?"

"It was lovely, thank you Minerva" I reply with a smile, actually having missed the aging Headmistress.

"Yes it was a lovely holiday" Severus agrees wholeheartedly.

"How were things here at the castle?" I ask curiously. "Quiet without the students I'm guessing."

"Yes it was, very quiet. It was quite strange to be honest, I'm looking forward to having noise in the corridors again" Minerva admits thoughtfully.

Severus smirks, "When you're swamped with reports of misbehaving students, and cannot even hear yourself think as you walk down the hall at meal times, I promise to remind you of what you have just said." He says slyly.

I smile and roll my eyes. "Once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin" I giggle.

"Very true Hermione, very true" Minerva agrees as we walk down the corridors. "Well I must be off, I'm glad you both had a nice time, wherever you went" she says as she ascends the stairs to her office and Severus and I head towards the dungeons.

We smile and nod at the older witch before we go our separate ways. After placing our bags down, I sent mine to my chambers through the Floo, Severus and I decide to go for a walk. We begin to walk around the castle and its grounds, no particular destination in mind, allowing me time to spend with just Severus and also to reflect on the actions of the past weeks.

"Thank you for letting me meet your Mother Sev" I say softly as we walk past the Forbidden Forest on our way to walk around the Lake.

Severus takes my hand, "Thank _you _for wanting to meet her Hermione" he says gently.

I squeeze his hand as I link my fingers with his.

We walk together in comfortable silence around the lake for a few minutes when a realisation strikes me. Since Severus doesn't miss anything, he stops us by the willow tree.

"What's wrong?" he asks, concern lacing his voice.

"What are we going to do for the Christmas holidays?" I reply, trying to by myself more time.

As usual, Severus sees right through my crap but instead of becoming angry he cradles my face, using his thumbs to gently massage my temples.

"Try again Hermione, what's wrong?"

I sigh and look up into his dark eyes, allowing him to remove the slight panic from my body.

"You'll think it's stupid" I finally admit, feeling silly already.

Severus wraps me in his arms and I hide my face in his robes. He leans down, his lips right near my ear and whispers "Try me."

I move my head to rest upon his shoulder and say "I've just realised that the thought of being away from you makes me feel horrible."

He doesn't say anything, he doesn't have to. He just holds me closer and slightly tighter, silently telling me that he feels the same way. Although it's not something I've ever thought I would think of so soon in a relationship, I find myself daydreaming about living with Severus. Darn, Sophia was right yet again. We walk back to his chambers and sit in front of the fireplace.

"Sickle for your thoughts?" Severus asks once we're comfortable.

"I'm not sure how to explain what's on my mind right now to be honest, everything is a bit of a jumble" I reply from his side as I try and gather my thoughts, my head resting on his shoulder in a snuggling manner.

We just sit in silence until an area next to the fireplace begins to glow, causing us to stand up warily. Mere seconds later, the orchid plant that is meant to be residing in my living room has appeared next to Severus' fireplace.

"What the heck?" I say, completely confused.

Things start appearing from my chambers into Severus' for a few minutes before things seem to stop.

"Should we go and ask Minerva?" I ask Severus, hoping that the Headmistress would know what is going on.

Severus nods in agreement and we head to Minerva's office, well we kind of stormed to her office. Once we reach the gargoyle we provide the password, tabby, and head up the spiral staircase. Minerva opens the door after we knock.

"What can I do for the two of you?" she asks, probably wondering the cause of our visit at such a late hour.

"Stuff from my chambers have seemed to have decided to move themselves to Severus' chambers, do you know why?" I ask, slightly wary at the thought that she was assuming things again.

However, she looks surprised and then thoughtful. Severus' expression doesn't give much away, but since he isn't gritting his teeth, I'm guessing that he knows for sure that Minerva surprise is genuine and wasn't behind this.

"Winky!" Minerva calls out, to which the elf appears with a curtsy. Maybe now we can get some answers. ooo

It turns out that Hogwarts itself is the cause behind my belongings relocating themselves. The castle seems to feel the connection of mine and Severus' magic and has behaved accordingly since we haven't.

"The castle is forcing you to admit what you truly want to happen" Minerva explains, a peaceful smile on her face.

We end up leaving things as they are, but Hogwarts goes one step further and merges our chambers together. On the outside, it still looks as though we live in separate chambers, when in fact the two have become one. Our various belongings have evenly placed themselves so well, that it looks as though Severus and I decorated ourselves.

"I'm only now realising just how much magic is infused within the castle" I remark to Severus as we eat breakfast in the Great Hall the next morning. This is the last day until the students return, and all of the professors are relishing the peace and quiet while we can.

"Yes, it can be surprising" he agrees as he stirs his tea.

"I would like to apologise to the pair of you for being so nosey" Minerva says suddenly. "I only want what's best for you, to see you happy and I'm sorry for overstepping the boundaries."

"Thanks Minerva" I say, a smile on my face.

Severus merely nodded as his way of accepting the apology before saying "To visit my Mother."

Minerva looks at Severus, a confused look on her face.

"Hermione and I spent the holidays with my Mother" he elaborates quietly.

Minerva's expression softens and a smile of gratitude from his trust comes over her face and she nods before going back to her breakfast.

"You're going soft Sev" I whisper into his ear.

"And it's entirely your fault" he cheekily whispers back, a smile on his face.

We ignore the looks that come our way from the other professors and go back to eating, waiting for the morning post to arrive.

It doesn't take long before the owls arrive. Annabella lands in front of me while a majestic looking forest owl with dark oak coloured feathers and cream speckles on its wings lands in front of Severus.

"Thank you sweetie" I say to Annabella kindly, as I offer her some water. She takes a few sips, nibbles my hand affectionately and flies off.

"The bond that you seem to have with that bird truly does astound me" Madam Hooch remarks, an awed expression on her face, "It's quite unusual to find such a strong connection between an owl and someone who isn't its owner."

I can only shrug in response; I'm not sure why Annabella seems to like me so much. I begin to open the letter that Annabella delivered but a nudge to my finger stops me. I look at the owl that landing in front of Severus and realise that it has a letter for me.

"Oh I'm so sorry" I apologise. I offer it some food and something to drink, which it accepts, allowing me to remove the letter from its beak. Once it finishes eating and drinking, it continues to sit there and I can't help but admire its feathers. "I love the colour of your feathers" I say to it as I continue to admire the bird.

My compliment seems to put me into its good graces and it moves closer to me, blinking its amber eyes at me and letting out a soft, low hoot.

I smile and say to Severus "what's its name?"

"She doesn't have one" he replies. "Mum has sent her to us, as a gift. She's one of her own owls' hatchlings."

"Really" I say, beginning to become excited. "We can keep her?" I ask, my eyes shining with happiness.

He nods with a smile "yes Hermione, we can keep her. What are you going to name her?"

I beam at him and turn to look at our owl. The owl, sensing my happiness has moved even closer. I reach out my hand and she lets me gently stroke her feathers with the backs of my fingers.

"She's so beautiful" I murmur, mainly to myself.

"Why don't you decide as we walk?" he suggests.

I nod and offer my sleeved arm to the owl, picking up my two letters with my other hand. She hoots and hops onto my wrist and sits there quite happily. Before we leave though, Crookshanks rubs himself against my leg.

"Hey Crooks, this owl is going to live with us now. Okay with you?" I ask my half-Kneazle companion.

Crooks lets Severus pick him up so that he can investigate the owl and vice versa. The look at each other and when they nuzzle each other, as best they can considering that one is a bird and the other is half-Kneazle, half-cat, I know that they'll be good friends.

I smile at Severus as we begin to walk back to our chambers, after saying goodbye to everyone else.

"What to call you?" I remark to the owl, still perched on my wrist. I turn to Severus. "What was her mother's name?"

"Demeter" he replies with a smile, knowing what name came into my head.

"Well, in that case" I begin as I look back at the bird. "Do you like the name Persephone?"

She blinks and hoots, moving to be on my shoulder and nibbling on a few stray curls that have escaped from my bun.

"I'll take that as a yes" I giggle as I leave her on my shoulder.

Severus chuckles as well, "great minds think alike. Mum thought you might name her that and ensured that none of the other females had the same name." he says, a grin on his face.

I return his grin as we arrive at Sophia's canvas. She greets us with a happy smile, Dreams tossing her head.

"Hello Professors. Funny how the chamber arrangements have changed recently isn't it?" she asks, giggling behind her hand.

Severus chuckles "yes it is funny" he agrees. "Does that mean that the password has to change?" he asks as he tickles my sides.

"Ah! Sev!" I manage to say between my giggles. Persephone manages to stay on my shoulder and Crooks wraps around our ankles.

"Oh you two are so cute!" Sophia exclaims as Severus renounces his tickle attack. "And it's your choice if you'd like to change the password or not."

"Maybe we should" I say, my cheeks colouring with my embarrassment.

"Why do you find it so embarrassing Hermione?" Sophia asks with her voice full of honest curiosity.

"Well it was my own little secret before, now it's not" I say. "Not to mention that it was what you wrote in your old potions textbook and when you found out that I used it as my password, I felt like I was intruding on something private" I admit to Severus.

"So Harry really did find my old potions book" he replies with a small smile on his face.

"I'm so glad that that is all you're taking out of my little confession" I say with a giggle.

"So what's the final verdict?" asks Sophia as Dreams nickers beside her.

Severus and I look at each other in contemplation, neither of us having any idea.

"Can we get back to you on that?" I ask Sophia.

She nods and lets the four of us in. Crookshanks goes to his bowl and eats, before heading to his pillow that's in front of the fire. Severus goes to make a pot of tea and brings our collective work to the coffee table in front of the couch and I walk over to the newly added owl perch and allow Persephone to step onto it.

"There you go" I coo softly to her, my finger gently stroking her beak.

She hoots at me as I take off my outer robes and shoes, causing me to smile. I walk over to Severus and sit down next to him, opening the first letter.

Dear Mione and Severus,

Just thought I'd write and see how the two of you are and to also thank you again for helping with Ginny. Albus is fine and James seems to love him already, he always wants to look at him and is being very gentle. It's quite a sight to see, not to mention adorable. Ginny and I heard about what Ron said and I hope it hasn't upset either of you. I wish I could write more but it's my turn to put James to bed. Hope to see you two soon.

Love Harry, Ginny, James and Albus.

I smile as I finish reading and accept the tea cup that Severus offers.

"This is for you as well" I say, handing him the letter.

He takes it with a peaceful smile and I reach for the second letter.

_To Dear Hermione,_

_I know we were speaking face to face only days ago but I just couldn't help myself. I do hope that you like the young owl; I thought she would be perfect for the pair of you. Severus did mention that you were planning to obtain an owl. I hope that the new school term isn't too stressful and I hope to see you around Christmas (although I'd love to see you both before that)._

_Love Eileen._

"Your Mum is so cute" I remark to Severus as I lean my head on his shoulder.

He chuckles softly before placing mine and Harry's letter on the table in front of us. Wrapping an arm around my waist, we relax into the couch and sip on the tea. I can't help but sigh happily and snuggle further into my Potions Master.

ooo

The school term has been underway for a few months and it wasn't long before all the professors, me included, were wishing for the peace and quiet of the previous holidays. With the weekend mere hours away, even I was starting to look at the clock in frequent intervals. Molly was on babysitting duties this afternoon which allowed Harry and Ginny to go shopping with Severus and I. We were probably only going to buy more ink, new quills, etcetera. But it was a chance for some retail therapy.

I look at the clock once more, there's three minutes left until the weekend can start. Bugger it; I want my weekend to start now.

"Attention" I say, enabling an entire class of transfiguration students to look at me with slightly worried expressions. "Over the weekend, I expect you to all finish you're current essay on the correct incantation of various spells." All the students look devastated with being reminded of homework, however they don't complain. So, with a small smile on my face I say "and since no one complained, you may go and start your weekend a little early."

The atmosphere of the room brightens instantly and with many smiles and cries of "thank you Miss!",  
>"this is so cool!", "thanks Professor Granger!" I can't help but smile with them and wish them a happy weekend as I gather up my belongings before shrinking them and placing them in my pocket.<p>

The last student leaves and I quickly tidy up my classroom before heading out of the room, locking the door behind me. I breathe a deep sigh of relief that I don't have any work to do over the weekend, having completed it during the lesson, and walk in the direction of Sophia's canvas.

It's pretty quiet as I walk down the corridor and I'm greeted with a happy surprise, the ghost of Helena Ravenclaw. It's rare to see her in the daylight hours since she's so shy.

"Good afternoon Helena" I say softly, not wishing to alarm her. Her face, still beautiful even in death turns, to me sharply, a curious expression on her face. She seems like she doesn't know if she can trust me or not so I simply say "it was lovely to see you, I hope you have a nice day" with a kind smile as I continue to walk down the corridor.

As I turn around the corner, I could have sworn that I saw a small smile grace her features. Feeling elated that I might have brought her some pleasant feelings, I begin to hum the tune of 'Once Upon A December' as I walk. The rest of the students have been let out now, their chatter filling the hallways.

"Hello Sophia" I beam as I reach the familiar canvas.

She returns my smile and Dreams nickers happily before continuing to graze. "Hello" Sophia replies.

"How has your day been?" I ask politely, but still with genuine curiosity.

"It was nice and relaxing" she replies happily. "I heard that you let your students out a little early today" she adds with a cheeky look on her face.

"Ask me no questions and I will tell no lies" I reply with a wink and a giggle. "Swan" I add once I'm sure there's no one within hearing range.

She giggles with me and allows me to enter the chamber. I step through and close my eyes for a moment, relishing the first true moments of the weekend. A smile makes its way onto my face as I hear the canvas open and close once more. I don't have to wait long before I feel the familiar robe covered arms encircle my waist. I sigh and lean into Severus while reaching my arm up to stroke his face, my lips curving into a smile when he kisses my fingers.

"How was your day?" I whisper, unwilling to break the peace that's engulfed the room.

I feel him smile as he buries his head in the crook of my neck. "Rather pleasant" he says quietly, pressing a kiss to my neck.

I hum absently as I open my eyes and turn my head to face him. "Good to hear" I say softly, looking into his eyes with a gentle expression.

I don't know how I ever thought his eyes were cold. Guarded maybe, but not cold, his eyes never fail to remind me of the black opals that my Mum has embedded in her favourite figuring; funnily enough it's a fox. Right now, those expressive eyes are looking into my own, kind and gentle. The eyes of a survivor that has chosen to live.

"I love you" I murmur as I run my fingers through his hair, my back still held against his chest. His arms tighten and his eyes give away how happy my words truly make him.

"I love you too" he replies as he presses a kiss to my hair, then my forehead, then my nose, then finally my lips. I return his kiss with a content and happy hum, feeling safe and loved in my own little Severus cocoon.

When we pull apart, the grandfather clock reminds us of the time. "We should get ready to go and meet Ginny and Harry" I say.

He nods and we quickly change into casual clothes, consisting of black slacks, black shoes and a deep green long sleeved shirt for Severus and dark blue skinny jeans, knee high black heeled boots and lilac blouse for me. Normally we would have taken our time before going out but Ginny is still in the stage where she gets nervous if she's away from the baby for too long, and so for her, we manage to beat Ginny and Harry to the agreed meeting place in front of a new wizarding café.

Severus and I just decide to wait outside rather than ordering something inside, relishing the subtle warmth from the sun as we lean against the wall with our fingers interlaced. Our postures win us some sweet comments from the passer-by's, which causes the pair of us to smile. Even I want to thank Narcissa now, although I barely know the older witch.

I lean my head against Severus' shoulder, my hair gently blowing around my face since I let it down from the restricting bun that I usually kept it in while in 'Professor mode'. I thank my lucky stars that my hair is no longer wild and frizzy any more, and that it's just nice and naturally curly without being over the top.

"When does the conference start?" I ask, knowing that there is a potions conference on this weekend.

An arm wraps around my waist pulls me closer as he replies, "First thing tomorrow morning."

I can't help the feeling of dread that makes its way into the pit of my stomach, I really have developed a hate of being away from Sev. I mean sure, we have our moments when we like to be apart but it's always on our terms, as sappy as that sounds.

"To be honest, I'm a little worried about you being by yourself. I know you're more than capable of looking after yourself but still" he says with a shrug.

I nod, understanding how he feels. It's not like I'm exactly looking forward to being by myself this weekend. Before I allow the despair eat at my though, a thought strikes me and a soft smile makes its way onto my face.

"I have an idea" I say as I look up at him. He waits patiently and I say "what if I ask Alice if I can stay with her this weekend? I think it would be good for me to get away from the castle and it's not like I have any work to do."

His answering smile is all I need to know his thoughts. "Great!" I exclaim happily as I rest my head on his shoulder again and snuggle into his side.

I do, however, take out my wand and send a patronus to Alice, asking if she's free this weekend, mainly because I can but also because I'm too lazy to send an owl. Severus and I continue to talk about our day so far, catching up on the little quirks that are always present in the castle as we watch my silver otter go off into the distance.

It's a few more minutes before Ginny and Harry arrive, both of them looking well if not a little tired.

"Hey you two, we were wondering if you had stood us up" I joke as they approach us.

We all laugh good naturedly as we exchange hello's and spend the next couple of minutes catching up on the latest events. James and Albus are doing fine; Ginny has completely recovered from the birth and has taken to doing some gentle exercise to get the brothers out in the fresh air and to get her pre-baby body back, even though she'll be curvier than when she was a teenager.

"What do you guys need to get?" Harry asks, knowing full well that his and Ginny's shopping list is far longer than ours.

"Cat food, owl pellets, owl treats, ink, parchment, a new quill and I'd like to get some new books" I reply with a sheepish smile, having memorised my list last week.

A collective chuckle is made at my expense but it's all in good fun, with no malice to be found.

"I'm hoping to obtain some new potions ingredients as well as a few new books" Severus adds, with a casual shrug. Somehow, I think that the spare floor to ceiling bookcase won't be empty for long; we already have three full floor to ceiling bookcases.

Ginny nods, "then we better get started" she says cheerfully.

As we head towards the pet emporium, I let out an unhappy sigh. "Oh no" I say regretfully, a sad expression taking over my features.

The cause of my sudden mood change becomes apparent as Severus pulls me closer to him, Ginny lets out an angry huff and Harry stands to his full height. Ronald Weasley in the flesh is heading towards us, after having spotted the four of us walking down Diagon Alley.

"What brings you here brother dearest?" Ginny asks sarcastically, knowing what had occurred at the hospital while she and Harry we busy bringing their second son into the world. Needless to say both Ginny and Harry are disgusted.

"Oh great, I was hoping that you hadn't heard about it" Ron sulkily answers, thinking twice about sending a glare my way after seeing Severus' furious expression.

"How could you Ron? We were the best of friends for years, you even admitted that you and Hermione were better off as friends but yet you still act like a git" Harry says, disappointment evident in every word.

"It was just, things changed ya know? For years, it seemed like me and Hermione were gonna get married and have kids, and then suddenly, that didn't happen and never will happen. Just threw a gnome in the works, changed everything." Ron replies with a frown.

"Oh and you thought that the best way to get back at Hermione finding true happiness was failing to tell Mum about you cheating on her, followed by threats and general down right rudeness?" Ginny states with a scoff. "If you had half a brain, you would have realised that Severus and Hermione are perfect for each other, they share interests and balance each other out. As for the whole age thing, no one else cares, everyone has changed since the war Ron, the rest of the world have realised that there are bigger day to day issues than worrying about 'The Brains of the Golden Trio' dating our former Potions Professor."

"I know that everyone has changed since the war Gin, I haven't forgotten that." Ron replies quietly. "I actually came over here to call up a flag of truce."

I feel my expression softening. When all's said and done, things will never be like how they were before, but if things can be mended then I'm not about to refuse. Although he has been acting like a down right tool, I still value his friendship, even if it's more of a close acquaintanceship.

"Truce?" I ask curiously, although still slightly guarded.

He nods, "I know I've been horrible to you and Snape but I do kinda get where you're coming from now."

"What do you mean?" I say, choosing to ignore the whole 'Snape' thing.

"It's Susan Bones" he explains. "We ran into each other at a Quidditch match and started talking. We've been on a couple of dates and I really thing I'm starting to develop really strong feelings for her."

"That's great to hear Mr Weasley" Severus adds honestly. "I doubt that we will ever be friends per say but I think we can at least be civil towards one another."

Severus holds out his hand to Ron and they shake hands in the start of a new beginning.

We have a, slightly uncomfortable, chat with Ron before he excuses himself, saying that he has more people to apologise to and we go our separate ways.

An hour later and the four of us are sitting inside the café, taking a break from shopping. My mind is still reeling from the meeting with Ron, it was all we could talk about for at least half an hour.

"The fact that he admitted to what he had done is a triumph in and of itself" Harry remarks and I agree.

"We'll never be the same but at least we might be able to be within the same room without the chance of killing each other" I say, sipping on my chocolate milkshake.

After talking for a little bit, the silver patronus of a bear appears in front of me. Its mouth opens and we hear the voice of my elderly neighbour Alice Skylark say "See you tomorrow morning dear" before it dissolves into thin air.

"Well that was easy" I giggle before giving a brief explanation to Harry and Ginny.

We continue to chat before Harry and Ginny go to finish their shopping before picking up their sons and going home. We say our goodbyes and Severus and I stay in the café while we finish our drinks before going to Flourish and Blotts, having completed the rest of our shopping.

"Shall we?" he asks, offering me his hand. I smile my response and link my fingers with his as we leave the café.

"Sev?" I ask casually.

"Yes?" he replies as he rubs his thumb over my hand.

"How did she do it? How did Narcissa get everyone to just no care about us being together?" I ask carefully, not wishing to offend him.

As usual, his super spy senses notice my care and he smiles in order to ease my mind. "Oh that's easy" he remarks. "She accepted it, that's all. After Lucius was sent to Azkaban, he lost all of his influence and because of that, also brought shame to the Malfoy name. Apparently all of the Malfoy portraits have left their canvases and nobody has seen them since. Anyway, Lucius received all of the blame, as you know, since he's technically the head of the family, well was. Narcissa is the one that runs the show now; she refuses to put up with Lucius' attitude even though she still loves him. Because she wasn't directly in the spotlight, people don't really associate her with the bad decisions that Lucius made. So when she was publically asked about her thoughts on our relationship, she told the press that she was happy for us. That's all really."

"Wow" I reply in amazement. "Remind me to thank her."

Severus just chuckles and opens the door for me. We walk inside and I smile at all the books. As we browse the shelves, I cast a _muffliato _and continue our conversation.

"But surely, Lucius isn't all bad. Is he?" I say as I chew on my bottom lip.

"Your willingness to find the good in people astounds me Hermione" he says with a soft expression. "No, he isn't all bad. He just made some bad choices that can't be ignored or forgotten. I do know that he regrets what happened to you in Malfoy Manor, in his own little way, even before I tore him a new one when I found out."

I nod, contemplating this new information. However, I can't stop the shiver that runs through my body when I remember Bellatrix's' torture. Severus pulls me to him and I eagerly snuggle into his side. He doesn't say anything and for that, I'm grateful.

"What do Narcissa and Draco do now?" I ask curiously, as I look at the various titles. He looks at me, his eyes suddenly a little duller. "What is it?"

"To answer that, you're going to need a bit of backstory" he says. Seeing my nod, he looks back to the books and continues. "Well, you know that Lucius was well and truly a broken man by the end of the war but Narcissa was more openly protective of Draco?"

"Yes, although there was so much going on, I did notice that she was determined to hug Draco as much as possible and whisper to him. Draco looked so relieved and happy to receive that kind of attention from her" I reply, remembering what I had seen after coming back from Dumbledore's office with Harry and Ron.

"Yes, at that stage she was so happy that her son was alive, she didn't care how people saw her. If they saw her as the youngest Black sister that married the Malfoy heir due to centuries of pureblood tradition or as a loving mother who was relieved to have her son and only child in her arms again."

Hearing this makes me smile, Narcissa is just like every other mother, no matter what pureblood society says how a witch should act towards her children.

"When Lucius was in Azkaban, Narcissa and Draco went to visit him. He wasn't well. The shame that he had begun to feel was eating him alive, shame that was caused from being shunned by the Malfoy portraits and other living Malfoy's that reside in France. Not even seeing his wife and son could cheer him up. Unfortunately, it made him angry, to the point where he said some words, words that no amount of flattery could cause those words to be taken back."

"Should I even ask or should I take this as a moment where I should keep my mouth shut and not be a know-it-all" I say quietly, my fingers stroking a transfiguration journal.

He begins to rub circles on my waist with his free hand. "He said, and please keep in mind that he was verbally lashing out. He said 'If your mother hadn't fussed over you so much as you grew, you would have been able to kill Dumbledore'. It broke Narcissa's heart."

"Oh" I whisper, pure shock radiating through me. He gently squeezes my waist in understanding. "He, he was really that depressed? I mean I know that dementors aren't exactly great company at the best of times but …"

"I know, and Narcissa and Draco know that but they're not going to use that as an excuse, that last comment was the straw that broke the camel's back. With Aurors as witnesses, they refused to ever acknowledge Lucius again. Narcissa went to the Ministry to discuss the situation, and it turns out that because Lucius is in Azkaban, she is the head of the Malfoy household as Draco hasn't been given the family ring. That means that she is allowed to change her name if she desires, so she has. She has gone back to her maiden name and is once again, Narcissa Black. Draco has done the same thing and is now Draco Black. All of the assets that were once in the name of Malfoy are now in the name of Black. The only thing that hasn't been changed is Malfoy Manor."

"And that has all happens in the last couple of months?" I breathe, still feeling the shock of what I've just heard.

"Yes" he replies, seemingly relieved that I haven't said anything negative about the people he was once close friends with.

"Wow, have you guys been talking?" I ask with concern.

"Yes" he says hesitantly and I know that he's misunderstood me.

"Oh no, I don't mean it in that way. You've known Narcissa since you were kids and you're Draco's Godfather. I was just hoping that they would reach out to you so that they wouldn't feel alone. I was concerned for them, not jealous" I assure him, as I gently squeeze his free hand.

He kisses me sweetly and we continue to peruse the books, the _muffliato_ long since removed, and end up buying several books each before returning to the castle to prepare for our respective weekends. However, I unconsciously flex the fingers of my left hand, unwillingly remembering that I still have 'mudblood' carved into my arm.

ooo

"Hello Hermione!" exclaims Alice as she literally throws open her door. "Come in! Oh we do have much to catch up on!"

I giggle as I enter the apartment, she hasn't changed much. Now a great grandmother twice over, she's still the sweetest person I know. Still four foot seven inches tall, still with electrifying blue eyes, her silver grey hair still in its usual casual bun.

"How have you been Alice?" I ask, happy to see the old widow, especially since I no longer live in the building.

My simple question sets her off and before I know it, four hours have passed and we're sitting on her couch sipping on some herbal tea. We've talked about the latest gossip, the latest trends, her great grandchildren, my teaching at Hogwarts, and it was inevitable before we would talk about my relationship with Severus.

"So?" she asks slyly. "How have things been?"

I laugh outright at her pretend sneakiness, she knows that I tell her everything.

"Amazing" I tell her with a dreamy expression. "It has been amazing."

She doesn't stop there, and waits patiently for me to continue.

I roll my eyes and giggle. "Well, we have moved in together at Hogwarts and are going to move in together in Severus' new house, he sold Spinners End and hopefully he will meet my parents but they haven't spoken to me in months." I sigh, irritated for a moment before continuing. "His father died years ago but I've met his Mum, Eileen. She's adorable, and seems to equal you in terms of the biggest fan thing."

"Well that's fabulous dear" she says, the biggest possible smile on her face. She's like the cat that caught the canary, I'm almost tempted to look for feathers.

"What are your plans for Christmas?" I ask as I sip my tea.

"A big get together with all the family" she replies with a grin, she always did love having a large group of relatives around, "And Yourself Dear?"

"The current plan is being with Severus, obviously, and we're going to spend Christmas Eve at Hogwarts to go to the staff party. Christmas lunch, we're spending with the Potters and Weasleys, Christmas Dinner, we're spending with Eileen, Draco and Narcissa, and we're spending Boxing Day with Eileen" I say, ensuring that I don't miss anything out.

"What busy little beavers you're going to be!" she giggles, her eyes twinkling. "Now, what about that Ronald boy?" she asks with one eyebrow raised.

I explain what happened yesterday, his apology and the fact that we've come to a truce which makes her nod in satisfaction.

The rest of the weekend passes in smiles and laughs, the experience good for both Alice and I. Even when Severus arrives to pick me up, he's dragged into the conversation and it's not until after we've eaten dinner that we arrive back at Hogwarts.

I giggle with happiness as I lay on the couch, the giggles turn into full blown laughter as Severus takes advantage and begins to tickle me relentlessly.

"Sev!" I exclaim through my bouts of laughter. "Okay, okay, I give!"

He chuckles but stops with the tickling, going to place our newly acquired books on book case. I grin at his back before I notice that Persephone is standing next to a letter.

I look at it quizzically. "Is that yours Sev?" I ask, pointing to the letter.

He shakes his head no, an equally confused expression on his face. Thanks to old habits, I take out my wand and check for anything nasty, but find none. I walk over to the offending piece of paper, stroking Persephone when I arrive, and notice with a start that there's a stamp in the upper right hand corner. That alone told me all I needed to know, after five months of silence, my parents had finally bothered to send me a response.

"It's from my parents" I say without emotion, not responding when Severus comes to stand beside me. Sensing my hesitation to even touch the letter, Crookshanks rubs against my leg in comfort and Persephone hoots at me from her new perch on Severus' shoulder.

I allow myself a few minutes to collect my thoughts before a sigh escapes from my lungs and I reach for the letter. I mentally and emotionally brace myself for what lies inside the envelope.

"Stop it Hermione" I scold myself. "Are you a Gryffindor or not?"

It's completely quiet in the room as I turn the envelope over, seeing an unfamiliar return address, opening it and removing the piece of paper inside. I allow myself a moment of hesitation before I unfold the paper and begin to read the familiar handwriting of my Mum, all the while, allowing Severus to read over my shoulder.

Dear Hermione,

Oh sweetheart where do I begin? Honey, I am so sorry for what we did and you have every right to be angry at us. I know that you'll be even angrier if I speak for both your father and myself, so this letter is purely from me. I must confess that I allowed your father to make the brunt of the decisions with regard to, as you put it, 'the whole memory thing'. I want you to know that I genuinely understand why you did it, although I wish that I had made you feel more comfortable in confiding in me in the first place. It was hard for me, I want you to know. I was raised on the believe that witches and wizards were nothing more than stories and then low and behold, my only child turns out to possess magical abilities and has to go to a magical school away from me. It broke my heart to know that I was essentially missing out on your life. I couldn't help you with homework, I couldn't talk to you about the latest goings on, I couldn't take care of you when you were sick, and I couldn't even hug you while you cried. Of course we wrote to each other but it's still different. You started staying at the castle or with friends over the holidays, preferring to be around other witches and wizards because they could understand what you were talking about. I always felt bad for being and looking so confused when you would talk about transfiguration and potions and spells. And then you tell me, out of the blue that there is an evil dark wizard that wants to harm pretty much everyone and that you were going to stay in the wizarding world and fight him rather than come home! Of course now I can see that had you come home, it would have been worse but it sadden me to know that you had grown up so quickly and suddenly didn't seem to need your mum anymore. However I must confess something to you my darling. Your father and I, well, we haven't been getting along as well as we used to. I knew when I married him that change was a hard concept for him to grasp and that a major change would unsettle him tremendously. Discovering that you were a witch wasn't that big of a change as you had always seemed different, even when you were a baby. But the whole war thing, along with the memory thing really pushed him over the edge. So much so, that he's no longer the man that I fell in love with. It's become more of a room-mate relationship between us and I don't know if I even love him like a friend anymore. It came to the point that I have moved out and we have been separated since just after we received your last letter. I have also filed for a divorce that will be settled by Wednesday. Please don't think that it is because of you Hermione, we still love you but your father doesn't seem to want to acknowledge that you're all grown up and no longer need us anymore. I have been staying with my cousin Anna and while she doesn't know about the magic side of your life, she's helped me to admit to giving Severus a chance, as she has always preferred older men. Anyway, I would like to meet him, Severus, and see for myself if he really is as wonderful as you make him out to be. It will take me a while to get used to everything, but I'm willing to try. I don't want to lose you baby girl and I hope that you could think about possibly forgiving me. I love you Hermione.

Love from Mum.

P.S. To Mr Severus Snape, I hope that you don't think ill of me. I really am just a mother that feared for her only child and daughter for so long that I just couldn't anymore and because of that, I allowed my now ex-husband to make decisions for me. I hope that I can meet you.

Sincerely, Sienna Granger.

As I finish reading, I realise that I have tears in my eyes, from relief or sadness from my Mums' obvious battle with herself, I don't know. I look up at Severus, not knowing how to feel. He too has finished reading and uses his thumbs to wipe away a few tears that have escaped.

"Sev?" I say with a gasp. "What have I done?!"

He brings me over to the couch and encourages me to sit down, pulling me to his side. Crookshanks and Persephone perch themselves on the back of the couch and I look at Severus' face, feeling awful that I had essentially and unknowingly blocked my Mum out.

"Hermione, please listen. You have done nothing wrong; it's only natural to stay where people understand you and your Mother has said that she knows that. Think of it this way, she has reached out to you and offered you an explanation for why she acted the way that she did. She even acknowledged that her explanation was still no excuse but at least she has still tried. The fact that her marriage has ended is horrible and I know your mind is spinning with an endless series of questions, but give yourself time to absorb the information before you reply. I would hate for you to write something that you didn't mean or that you could come to regret."

I nod, listening to the logic behind the words and finding comfort in it. I would wait; sleep on it and then reply.

"Do you think that Minerva would allow her to come to the castle? We could show her some things and talk, give her mind a chance to understand the magical world a little better" I say to him, wishing that it could be possible.

"I don't see why not, Hogsmeade visits start on Friday. Apparently all students have been given permission. If you want to take a Slytherin approach to this, an assignment that requires all students to be in Hogsmeade this Friday can be arranged. That way, assuming that your Mother can make it and is permitted to visit, there won't be any students and that might make things a little easier" he offers patiently.

I nod again, liking the idea. I could always call in a favour from all of my fellow co-workers, Merlin knows that they all owe me one for various things that I have done for them.

"Can we talk to everyone at the staff meeting tomorrow morning?" I ask, suddenly feeling tired.

"Of course" he murmurs soothingly as he lifts me up into his arms bridal style, before standing. I let him and wrap my arms around his neck loosely.

He carries me to the bathroom and murmurs a spell under his breathe that causes the bath to begin to fill, causing the room to be infused with the smell of vanilla that permeates from the bubbles in the water. He sits me down on the edge of the now full tub and helps me remove my shoes and tie up my hair.

"Relax for a while, I'll put our stuff away and then you can have a nice sleep. How does that sound?" he asks as he gently massages my temples. I'm too tired to do anything but nod, so he kisses my lips sweetly before leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

"Merlin I love that man" I murmur to myself as I take off the rest of my clothes and sink into the sweet smelling water. I sigh and let my body and mind relax.

ooo

At the staff meeting the next morning, I feel a weight being lifted off of my shoulders when everyone agrees to Severus' idea. It's ensured every student will be in Hogsmeade on Friday and everyone has promised to be polite and kind. Filch being Filch, turned up his nose at the thought and was told to stay out of sight for his trouble. I couldn't help but smile at my co-workers for their participation in helping me reconnect with my Mum.

"Thank you so much, this means so much to me. You guys don't have to get me a birthday present next month, this is present enough" I tell them happily, causes them to laugh.

"It's not a problem dear" Madam Hooch remarks. "We owe you a favour anyway, now we'll be even."

I'm in a fantastic mood as I walk to my first class after having kissed Severus in thanks. Walking into my classroom in such a good mood causes everything to become brighter in response to my positive magic. I put a reminder to the students to hand up their homework on the board and decide to lean against the front of my desk as my first class of the day arrives. I smile at my students as they hand up their essays and don't move until they've all sat down and taken out their things.

"Good morning everyone, I trust that you've all had a wonderful weekend. I've decided to assign today's lesson as revision for your upcoming test." Happy whispers erupt instantly, only adding to my good mood. "I would prefer that you stay in the classroom however, if you would like reading material or practise questions, just come up and ask. You may work in groups, please keep the noise level down. You may begin."

As I finish talking, my students form a few different groups and begin to work. I follow their lead, sitting down at my desk and starting to mark the homework essays. Once I've gone through about half, I have to stifle a smile when I see a student in my peripheral vision.

"What is it Gracie?" I ask, hiding my giggle when she jumps. I look up and see that I've managed to gain everyone's attention. "Sorry Gracie, I didn't mean to startle you."

"How did you do that?" Gracie asks me in awe.

I place my new quill down and shrug. "I've learnt to pay attention to my surroundings" I explain to her. "I saw you coming in my peripheral vision."

In front of me are seventeen wide eyed second years, causing a cheeky smile to appear on my face.

"Problem?" I ask as I try and stop a giggle that wants to escape, as I don't want to be misinterpreted as making fun of them when I'm not.

"That's so cool Professor!" a blonde haired Ravenclaw girl exclaims. "You're like a ninja."

This causes me to let out a little giggle, "Thank you Zoe." I look back at Gracie, "Let me guess, some reading material and practise questions?" I ask her.

She blushes and nods sheepishly, "yes please" she says quietly.

"Don't be embarrassed Gracie, I was doing the exact same thing when I was your age" I tell her, hoping to make her feel better before a thoughtful expression comes to my face and I place a finger on my chin. "Actually, I think I was worse. I would stress far too much and would obsess over every little detail, drove my Professors crazy most of the time" I add casually.

I give Gracie what she asks for with a kind smile, "Don't be embarrassed about asking for extra work. Just remember to have some fun and relax from time to time."

She smiles and nods before re-joining her friends, causing me to shake my head with a smile and causing the rest of the class to continue with their revision.

When I've marked all the essays, there's ten minutes left of the class. I look up but don't stand as I say, "I've finished marking your essays. If you'd please go back to your original seats, I'll hand them back."

They all move back, ever since Mr Adias (whose first name is Adam) tried to be a smart ass, all of my students behave. It's nice if I'm being honest, after so many hectic years at Hogwarts, it's refreshing to have an almost boring year. Still, I'd rather have that then to have someone or something try to kill me.

I wave my wand, sending the essays back with a happy smile. After using various non-verbal wandless spells, I was able to double check that no one had plagiarised and due to that, I know that the marks received were honestly obtained. No one had failed, the lowest mark being an 'Acceptable'.

"Because of your excellent marks, I'm going to give in, to one of the earliest requests that this class ever asked me. So if anyone would like to know something about my time as a student here at Hogwarts, now is the time to ask" I say with a grin, pleased with how hard they've worked.

Their eyes light up with their results and with my proposition, I can hear their minds spinning from my seat behind my desk.

A Black haired Huffelpuff girl raises her hand. "Yes Mia?" I ask.

"Um, what was the silliest thing that you did when you were here as a student?" she asks, excitement shining in her eyes. The other students nod to the question, wondering what the answer is, while I lean my chin on my hand and think.

"Hmm" I say as I think, intending to answer but not wanting to give them any ideas. "It would probably have to be when I was in my second year like all of you. As I'm sure you know, a part of Lord Voldemort managed to control a student here through the use of an old diary of his, and was able to open the Chamber of Secrets. Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and I didn't know that at the time and were trying to figure out who could have opened the chamber and so we tried to sneak into the Slytherin common room, thinking that we could find answers in there." It makes me happy when no one flinches at the mention of Voldemort.

"And did you? Were you able to do it?" Adam pipes up, the rest of the class on the edge of their seats.

I nod, "Yes we were, well Harry and Ron were. We decided to brew a batch of Polyjuice potion in order to do it. Don't get any ideas by the way, Professor Snape has moved his private storage cupboard so you won't have access to the ingredients you'd need. Anyway, Harry and Ron were able to gain the human hairs that they needed to place into their respective glasses of Polyjuice potion but I had accidentally obtained cat hair instead of human hair. I ended up with a tail, cat ears, whiskers, a cat nose and tabby coloured fur all over my face. I was coughing up fur balls for hours" I finish with a sigh.

My class erupted into fits of giggles before bursting into laughter at my approving smile. It was really cute actually, seeing them so happy, even if it was at my expense. But who wouldn't laugh? I find myself laughing so hard, I start crying, when I think of the stupid things I did as a kid.

"But was it Mr Potter and Mr Weasley _and_ you that brewed the potion?" Gracie asks once everyone has calmed down.

I shake my head no, my chin still on my hand. "I brewed the potion by myself, in the girls bathroom actually, just ask Myrtle." I smile at their stunned expressions before adding "class dismissed."

ooo

"Ah, the sweet sound of silence" I remark to Severus as we watch the last of the students head to Hogsmeade.

"Famous last words" he replies with a laugh, causing me to shrug.

"You two better head off and collect your Mother Hermione" Minerva comments, nodding to the pair of us.

We agree and carefully apparate to an alley close to the agreed meeting place, ensuring to avoid being noticed by muggles, and arrive at a muggle Starbucks. We're meeting my Mum and her cousin Anna, and if she's still up for it, will take Mum back to Hogwarts.

"Okay" I say as we join the crowd, dressed in casual clothes not wizarding robes. "You wait outside while I talk to them and then I'll let you know when to come in" I say more to myself than Severus.

Understanding my nervousness, he just nods, crosses the road and takes a seat on the bench that's opposite the Starbucks, while I enter the café, the bell signalling my arrival. My Mum looks up when she hears it, a smile appearing on her face as she meets me half way, and I practically run into her arms.

"I missed you Mummy" I whisper into her ear, my voice cracking with pent up emotion.

She hugs me to her tightly, stroking my hair. "I missed you too sweetie."

We clutch each other for a few minutes before we let each other go and turn to Anna momentarily before facing one another again, who grins at our happy reunion.

"It's so good to see you" I exclaim to her, my eyes searching her face.

Mum has no words; she just trails her eyes over me, taking in everything about me that has and hasn't changed since the last time we saw each other.

"I might leave you guys too it" Anna says, smiling at the scene in front of her. "Let me know if you want me to pick you up Sienna."

Mum nods with a grin and we sit down next to the window, with her ordering a Latte and me ordering a cappuccino.

"Are you okay?" I ask her, my voice filled with worry. "What about the dental practise? What are you going to do now?"

She eases my fears by placing a calming hand over my wrist and smiling. "I'm planning to take up a dentist position at a clinic that's close to Anna's house. It's not permanent but it's just something to do for now. I'm actually working on that novel that I started a few years ago."

"The sci-fi comedy?" I ask in curiosity.

She nods in clarification, "Which means that I'm fine, the papers ensured that I obtained half of the money earned by the practise and I was happy with that, allowing your father to have full ownership. And with the money, I'm well off and can afford to work part-time and work on my novel."

I feel relief as she allays my fears and I convey that to her with my smile, "it's so great to see you" she breathes, "you look wonderful but where is Severus Snape?"

A blush decides that it's the perfect time to make its way onto my face, giving away my nerves. Mum just smiles at me. "Where is he?" she asks, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

I duck my head for a moment before turning my head to Severus, who is still across the road and nod at him sheepishly. He gives me a small smile before standing and heading over to where Mum and I are sitting. I turn back to Mum and she has a peaceful look on her face. Severus enters the café, quickly orders a flat white and comes over to our table. Mum and I stand up as he approaches and Severus gives a little bow of his head, over Mum's hand. Eileen will be happy with that.

"Mrs Granger, it's so nice to meet you" he greets her, a smile gracing his face.

"Please call me Sienna" she replies, pleasantly surprised by his action. "Good to know that chivalry still exists" she adds as the three of us sit down.

"Of Course" he agrees. "Please call me Severus and I can safely say that my own Mum would have my head on one of her silver platters if I acted in any other way."

Our drinks arrive in the middle of Mum's giggles. We thank the waiter and sip on our coffees.

"So, Sienna, will you still be joining us at the school?" Severus asks curiously as he takes sip from his cup, every bit the aristocrat.

Mum sighs thoughtfully. "Yes, I'd like to see the place that Hermione spoke so fondly of when she was younger" she says after a moment. "If I'm allowed a silly question, how will we arrive?"

I give her a smile and drop my voice as I answer. "It's called apparition, all you have to do is hold onto Severus and I."

"I'm not going to lie to you Sienna" Severus adds seriously. "When people experience apparition for the first time, it's common for them to throw up. It's not the most pleasant manner in which to travel, it feels like you're being squished through an impossibly small space."

Even thoroughly warned of the uncomfortable aspect she looks determined. "In comparison to the many things that I'm bound to find strange or uncomfortable, I think this apparition thing might be the least of my worries" she says confidently, causing me to smile. She always was a fighter.

"Let's get moving then" I say happily, as we finish our coffees and pay.

The three of us leave the café and casually walk out of sight. With Severus on one side and me on the other, we both take one of her hands and form a bit of a Sienna sandwich and count her down, "Three, two, one" before we turn and apparate away to the front gates of Hogwarts.

Upon arrival, we give her space to breathe and time to adjust to her new surroundings.

"Mum?" I ask, concerned that she could throw up. "Are you okay?"

I reach out my hands to steady her if I needed to. She sways slightly and places one of her palms against her forehead. As she breathes steadily in through her nose and out through her mouth, she gives Severus and I the thumbs up, "I'm okay, a little dizzy that's all" she admits.

Severus subtly conjures a chair for her to sit on, which she accepts gratefully. She laughs breathlessly, "So that's apparition huh? I suppose there are worse things in life."

Severus chuckles quietly, "we'll give you a few minutes to catch your breath before the three of us being to move" he says, slight concern in his eyes.

A smile finds its way onto my face and widens when I see what is standing at the edge of the forest. I catch Mum and Severus' attention; put a finger to my lips to indicate that they should be quiet, before gesturing to the golden unicorn foal that is watching us from the edge of the forest.

Mum's eyes light up at seeing the foal and an amazed smile is added to her expression when the pure white parents of the foal appear behind it. Severus and I watch the three animals as they watch us in return, with a sense of peace. It was always a comforting feeling when a unicorn pair allows their foal within visual range of humans.

As they turn and head back into the Forbidden Forest, Mum looks at Severus and I, "Oh they were so beautiful" she breathes, completely entranced by the unicorn family.

"It was definitely a good introduction for you" I say as she stands and smiles at Sev in thanks for the chair, which promptly disappears once it's no longer needed.

"Shall we" Severus says, as he gestures to the castle with his hand. Mum nods as she links her arm with mine, causing me to smile. With Severus holding my free hand, the three of us walk to the castle in order to introduce my Mum to the world of magic.

ooo

Introducing Mum to the various aspects of magic and Hogwarts itself turned out to be a huge success. Like the fighter she has always been, she stuck through everything and by lunch, she seemed as at home in the castle as any witch or wizard.

"Hermione tells us that you're currently writing a novel Sienna?" Minerva asks.

We were joining the rest of the staff for lunch and a smaller round table had been transfigured so that we could all look at each other and so Mum would feel more comfortable.

"Yes, I started it a number of years ago and I have recently felt inspired to continue it" Mum replies, easily conversing with Minerva although the Hogwarts ghosts were popping in and out.

"What's it about?"

"It's a science fiction comedy. I haven't finished the plot yet though."

A few minutes are spend with mindless chatter and the scraping of cutlery on plates, the clink of glasses on the table, before another topic of conversation is chosen.

"I have to say Sienna, you have taken to the magical world like a duck to water" Severus remarks.

She smiles at the compliment, "I've never minded magic, and I just haven't been exposed to it like I have now."

"Is it possible that Hermione's magical abilities came from your side of the family?" Severus asks, genuinely curious.

"I honestly don't know" Mum replies with a shrug, "Is there a way to find out?"

"Yes there is" Minerva says, "It would be on the register" she adds as she summons a scroll. "Hermione?" she says to me.

I nod, understanding what she wants me to do as I take out my wand and tap it to the scroll. It instantly un-rolls itself and my name appears on it, written in elegant script. Then a line appears with Mum and Dad's names. One by one, the scroll maps out my family tree until…

"Yes Sienna, Hermione's magic is from your side. Sienna's great-great-grandmother was a half-blood witch by the name of Ailisa Etain O'Sullivan. An Irish witch whose Father was a wizard and Mother was a muggle. She was a student here at Hogwarts, a Ravenclaw, and graduated with a near perfect score. She went on to become a Potions Mistress and married Roman Osborn, an Irish muggle. They had one daughter, but her magic never fully developed due to an illness that she sustained when she was younger. Their daughter also married a muggle although she knew of the wizarding world and had a son. The illness that she sustained turned out to not be genetic and just a freak occurrence, which enabled the magical genes to be passed on undetected until Hermione was born and they re-established themselves" Minerva stated as she reads the findings of the scroll out loud.

"Wow, it's great that you were able to find that out" Mum remarks as she looks at me happily, a look that I return, glad to be able to have such a thing to share with her. She looks thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Ailisa means noble, Etain means sparkling and O'Sullivan means descendant of the hawk or the dark eyed one. If she lived up to her name, she must have been a remarkable woman."

"I'll say" adds Madam Hooch, "The O'Sullivans were skilled all-rounders. They could fly broomsticks, duel, and brew potions with ease while still being quite humble. I don't think that the name has survived as it came to a stage where no male heirs were born" she finishes thoughtfully.

"Ailisa Etain O'Sullivan was an incredibly skilled Potions Mistress" Severus says seriously, "I recognise the name. She revolutionised many potions but apparently was the worst possible person to anger. It was rumoured that all those that made their way onto her bad side would always come up with a mystery illness, rash or cough that only she could cure. But as they had insulted her in whatever way, they would be bound by their pride and not ask until someone else would step in and ask her themselves. They could never trace anything back to her, she would have made an excellent Slytherin" he finishes with a playful smirk.

His expression causes me to burst out laughing. "You can't claim anyone that's sneaky as a Slytherin Sev!" I exclaim breathlessly.

He laughs with me, "Why not? You claim people who are courageous one time as a Gryffindor."

"Only to tease you" I confess, my laughter now reduced to giggles.

"Really? I'm going to remember that" he replies, a playful twinkle in his eyes.

"Ah! So cute!" Mum exclaims suddenly, causing me to blush and everyone else to laugh.

"Mum" I whine, a fake pout on my lips. She simply winks at me, a maternal smile on her face. A smile which then becomes a puzzled expression as an owl arrives.

"I thought the post was delivered in the morning" she muses, mostly to herself but loud enough for others to hear.

I look to Severus and notice that his expression has become blank, an expression that causes me to panic, which in turn freaks out Mum.

"Sev?" I ask, my voice shaking ever so slightly.

The owl lands in front of Severus and only stays long enough for him to remove the envelope before taking flight and leaving. He opens the envelope quickly and his expression darkens as he reads what appears to be a short letter, causing him to remove a second piece of folded parchment, which results in his expression to become split between complete distain and concern. I think that I'm the only one to pick up on the concern, but nevertheless, Sev has gained everyone's attention.

He finishes reading, places the parchment face down on the table and closes his eyes before taking a deep breath, in an attempt to compose himself. I can tell that he's having trouble calming himself down and I feel my heart clench. In an attempt to offer comfort, I place my hand on top of his clenched fist, causing his to open his eyes and turn his head to me swiftly. His eyes calm slightly as he realises that it's me and turns his hand so that we can interlace our fingers.

Instead of saying anything out loud, I simply squeeze his fingers as my way of asking 'what's wrong?' He sighs softly and pushes both pieces of parchment my way. With my free hand, I pick up and begin to read the first one, a letter.

Severus,

Draco and I thought that you should see this before it's published in tomorrows 'Daily Prophet'. We just received this notice and wished for you to know first-hand.

Hoping that you are well, Hermione too,

Narcissa and Draco Black

I feel my heart jump up in to my throat at the possibilities of the notice, almost missing the fact that they hoped for my good health. I reach for the notice and realise that it has a small coffee stain, as though someone had taken a sip of a freshly brewed cup of coffee and had unconsciously sprayed the liquid onto the parchment out of shock from its contents. With that in mind, I braced myself for the possibilities of what I was about to read.

Mrs Black,

This sudden correspondence is to inform you that at 8:27pm last night, your brother-in-law Rodolphus Lestrange started a brawl with your husband Lucius Malfoy. The result of the confrontation was the death of Mr Malfoy, after Mr Lestrange clubbed Mr Malfoy over the head with a stone. Please inform the Ministry of Magic as to what you would like to have done with the body.

Apologies for your loss,

Auror Department, Azkaban division

I'm frozen in shock at what I've just read, is Lucius Malfoy really dead? According to the letter and notice, yes, he is. On one hand, he was so nasty to Narcissa and Draco the last time they spoke and has done terrible things in his life. But at the same time, he was someone's husband, father and friend at one stage.

"I don't know what to say" I confess quietly as the mixed emotions swirl through me. I turn and look at Severus before looking back at the parchment. "Why?" I ask myself softly.

"The diary for one" Severus says tensely. I look back to him and he continues to list reasons. "Believing that there was no way for _him_ to return, being arrested when the death eaters needed his influence, not being grateful when he was released from Azkaban, the list goes on."

No one else is saying a word; they're all waiting to find out what we're talking about.

"I don't mean to intrude, but can you please inform us of what is going on?" Madam Pomfrey asks, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Lucius Malfoy is dead" Severus announces coldly.

His statement is met with shock and surprise. If there was any relief or joy, it was hidden out of respect for Severus. Unfortunately, Mum has no idea of what we're talking about and shuffles in her sit and stares at her glass, the only indication of her discomfort.

Now it's my turn to feel uncomfortable, at seeing my Mum feel so awkward. I want to comfort her and explain everything but I'm not sure if I should. Severus notices, of course, and puts everyone's minds to rest when he sighs deeply and turns to my Mum.

"Sienna" he says softly, causing her head to whip up and look at him. "Lucius Malfoy was from one of the oldest French Pureblood wizarding families and was a student here at Hogwarts. We were in Slytherin together and were friends, joining Lord Voldemort together. He was married to Narcissa Black and they had a son, Draco, who is my Godson. After Voldemort disappeared, Lucius, Narcissa and I thought he was never coming back, but Dumbledore thought otherwise, causing me to become a double spy. At this stage, Narcissa no longer cared about Pureblood traditions and dark magic, all she cared about was her son. After Voldemort returned, and after many other events occurred, Lucius finally broke once Voldemort decided to use Malfoy Manor as his base camp. Lucius turned into a shadow of the man that he once was, he had been in Azkaban and then released, and his home had been taken from him, along with his wand. His wife only wanted to ensure her son's safety, something that she made clear just before the beginning of the final battle. Needless to say, he pushed Narcissa and Draco away, not baring the shame that he had brought upon himself and the Malfoy name, even more so when he was placed back in Azkaban. He went a step too far, so Narcissa and Draco changed their lasts names to Black, Narcissa's maiden name. Lucius pushed away the only thing he had left, his family, and that left him more vulnerable than ever. Narcissa's brother-in-law, Rodolphus Lestrange, blamed Lucius for many things and took advantage. Rodolphus murdered Lucius last night" Severus finishes. He left a lot out but Mum seems to have understood, actually she seems like she's picked up on more than the explanation.

She doesn't say anything, she doesn't have to, she simply stands up and walks over to where Severus and I are sitting. Severus goes to say something, to give an explanation as to why he spoke with such a guarded expressions and voice, but Mum just raises a finger and shakes her head.

"I get the picture Severus" she states easily, and in a move that shocks most but fills me with joy, my Mum bends down slightly and wraps her arms around Severus' torso and provides the comfort that only a mother can give with her hug.

Severus stiffens for a second before returning the hug gratefully, making Mum go one step further as she begins to use one hand to rub circles on his back and use the other to stroke his hair.

"I'll be okay Severus, just be there for Narcissa and Draco, like you and Hermione seem to be and everything will be fine" she promises him, leaning her head against the side of his. "They will be fine, and you will be fine. I will admit that Narcissa might take a little longer to feel okay but in time, you'll see that she will smile and laugh and enjoy life."

I watch the two of them, a warm feeling spreading through my heart at the sight. Two of the most important people in my life are giving and receiving through the embrace, as though they have known each other for years rather than hours. It's cheesy to say so but I don't like what I'm seeing, I love it.

ooo

A few days later, Sev and I were relaxing in our chambers after spending a full day teaching.

"What was that you said about 'famous last words' again?" I ask rhetorically as I let my eyes drift close. I hear him chuckle softly but not say anything as he sits next to me on the couch and pulls me into his arms.

Last Saturday, Sev and I went to see Dad, after throwing away our copy of the 'Daily Prophet', and I was a little apprehensive, not knowing how he would react to…well anything really. Sadly, it turned out that my Father can no longer be an active part of my life. He explained that the magic had become too much, regardless of how it was used. He was grateful that I cared so much about his opinion of my relationship with Severus and gave his blessing. However, he asked that we would only correspond via letters from now on. He agreed to Christmas/birthday cards/presents but that was it.

Severus brings me out of my thoughts by pressing a kiss to my temple.

"Sorry Sev, I don't mean to space out on you" I say to him as I turn on my side and snuggle into his chest. He allows me to adjust my position but goes one step further and moves us so that we're lying down, while still allowing me my snuggle spot on his chest.

"Hermione, you're starting to worry me" he admits suddenly and silently.

I raise my head to look up at him, "Sev?"

He sighs and looks into my eyes, "You haven't been sleeping that well lately, crying, and sometimes calling out. I have no idea what is going on inside your mind but it's clearly nightmares. They're starting to get quite bad, and to be honest, it's terrifying."

My facial expression becomes one of shock and before I can stop myself, I have shot my arms up around his neck and latch onto him, burying my face in his neck. He responds instantly, wrapping his arms around my waist with a slightly firmer grip.

"Oh, my goodness, Sev I'm so sorry. I had no idea that I was calling out" I say as I turn my face to the side so that my words aren't muffled.

"Hermione, how long have these been going on?" he asks in a no nonsense tone of voice.

I bite my lower lip as I feel it tremble and look away from him momentarily. Taking a deep breath I look back into his eyes, somewhat reluctantly and quietly confess, "Ever since we went to Diagon Alley to go shopping with Ginny and Harry."

"Oh Hermione" he breathes quietly, holding me closer. "Please tell me what they're about. I have a bit of experience with nightmares and I might be able to help" he pleads.

I know that I can't deny his request, but the thought still brings tears to my eyes. A few spill over and I whimper "Bellatrix's torture."

His expression breaks my heart and as a result, more tears follow. He clutches onto me and sits us up so he can rock us from side to side. He presses his lips to my forehead and I feel him take a couple of deep breaths. When he pulls away slightly, I raise my head and press a soft kiss to his lips. Bringing a hand to wipe away my tears and stroke my cheek, he returns my kiss and provides the pair of us with the comfort that we both need.

"I had hoped that what I was told of your capture wasn't true but as the same time I honestly don't know for certain" he remarks, ever so slightly awkward.

"I'm going to translate that for myself and guess that you're asking if it's true that she carved 'Mudblood' into my arm" I say, tiredly.

He has a look of pain on his face as he nods. As my way of responding, I lean away from him and mumble the counter-spell for the glamour charm I have on my arm. Pushing up my sleeve, I allow him to see the raised flesh of my scarred arm. He doesn't say anything, but inches his fingers towards it and at my nod, softly traces the letters that spell out 'Mudblood'. Oddly, at his touch it burns slightly, causing him to look at me when I flinch.

"I don't know why, but it's starting to burn, as you touch it" I say, not hiding my obvious reaction.

He frowns, "I'm worried that this might be cursed" he says. "There's a spell I can use to check but having known Bellatrix, I won't have the ability to remove it."

I think for a moment at what he's said, and decided that I'd rather know. "Please cast it" I whisper, looking straight into his eyes.

He nods and pulls out his wand, before murmuring something in Latin. I gasp as I feel my arm suddenly become cold and then a disgusting looking green circle appears above the word. I honestly feel like I'm going to be sick when I recognise the shade of green, the exact same shade that illuminated Voldemort's mark when someone had been killed.

"It's cursed" I say flatly, almost daring him to disagree.

"Yes, meant to force you to relive obtaining the torture while you sleep and to cause you momentary pain if it's pressed upon too hard" he agrees, clearly recognising the type of curse.

"She would use that dagger a lot I'm guessing" I say in a slightly disgusted voice. He nods and then looks thoughtful but hesitant. "What is it?" I ask.

"I think Narcissa could remove the curse" he tells me lowly.

My eyes light up at his words, "Would she do you think?"

"Why wouldn't she?"

"We're not exactly best friends forever, same with Draco. I haven't seen them since the end of the final battle."

"Christmas holidays are coming up, why don't we ask then? If she says no, then we'll just have a bit of research to do" he suggests.

I nod my agreement and return back to my original position, snuggling into my Potions Master.

ooo

With only a few months until Christmas, the entire school goes into a state of chaos, with the students are excited for Christmas and not really wanting to focus on the work. It's understandable but frustrating. That is the situation that I find myself in with my fifth years. I give up on trying to make them listen, mutter a few choice cuss words under my breath and sit down at my desk. I look around in the draws of my desk and find a novel, which I then begin to read, fully indenting to ignore my students since they're ignoring me.

Half the lesson goes by before I hear someone knock on my door. I let them in with wandless magic and it turns out to be Minerva and some parents.

"What is the meaning of this?" she exclaims angrily, causing all the students to shut up and look at her. "Professor Granger?" she asks.

"They stopped listening to me half an hour ago. I figured, 'what's the point? If they fail, I still get paid the same', so I sat down and began to read my novel. It's been a long day and I don't have the energy to argue if I'm only going to be ignored" I explain easily, with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Well then" Minerva begins. "I completely agree with your reasoning Professor" she says with a small smile. The parents behind her look at their children with disappointment. "Clearly it's not your fault that the students are unprepared for the visit of their parents" she continues. "In my opinion, the only clear course of action is for this entire class to have detention with Mr Filch tonight. Maybe that will teach them that after five years at this school, they should know by now to always respect their Professors." The students are horrified but Minerva looks smug.

"Thank you Headmistress" I say, smiling.

"Anytime Professor" she replies with a wink. "Also, you have a letter" she adds, allowing the letter to fly through the air and land in front of me.

I nod my thanks and gesture to my students to leave as the lesson has ended. They look at me with panicked expressions, not wishing to face their parents.

"Tough" I sneer at them. "You ignore me when I'm trying to teach then you're on your own, now get out of my classroom before I become even more irritated."

They do as I say for the first time and I roll my eyes at a few of the excuses that they try to come up with, excuses that do more harm than good to be honest. Minerva gives me a small smile before she follows the others out of my classroom, leaving me alone to read the letter.

_To Dear Hermione,_

_How have you been sweetheart? Severus told me that you have re-connected with your Mother and showed her the wizarding world in a way that she never had a chance to see. I'm so glad that you were able to do that but I do wish that it hadn't have been brought down by the news of Lucius Malfoy. Oh Hermione, I do hope that you're okay. I know that you weren't and still aren't very close to the Malfoy's but I, just like many others, have heard rumours as to what happened in Malfoy Manor and I hope that you haven't been reminded of any bad experiences, but on to a more pleasant topic. Is there a chance that I may meet your Mother? From what Severus has told me, she sounds like a wonderful woman and I do feel that we share many interests._

_I do hope that you're well,_

_Love Eileen._

Reading her now familiar script brings a smile to my face and I quickly write a replying letter, telling her that her idea sounds wonderful and that I will be sure to ask my Mum about it. I jump up, cleaning the classroom and gathering my things as I go, before I dash up to the owlery and send the letter off with Persephone. Being that it's the end of the day, I decide to go to the lake to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

By the time I reach the water's edge, most of the students have gone off to watch a Quidditch practise match. Even after all these years, I'm not really that fond of the sport but I appreciate the unity that it brings among the school. Sitting down, I watch as the giant squid splashes the water with its tentacles. Such a playful display brings a smile to my lips.

My thoughts eventually turn to the curse on my arm, and if it's possible for Narcissa to remove it. Now that I think about it, I can't remember when I began to think of Narcissa as Narcissa and not Mrs Malfoy or Narcissa Malfoy. Huh, it's weird how the mind works.

"Hermione?"

I turn my head and smile as Severus comes over and sits down beside me.

"Hey Sev, how was your day?" I ask, allowing myself to be soothed by his presence as always. I'm such a sap.

"No one blew up my lab, so it was fine. And yours? I heard that the dunderheads that you call students decided that listening to you wasn't worth their time and Minerva almost killed you." He replies, his voice as smooth as ever.

"Yeah, it's true. After about ten minutes, I gave up trying to convince them to listen to me and started reading a novel instead. Minerva came in and yes, she almost killed me. But once I had explained the situation, adding in that I would still get paid even if I didn't teach in one lesson, she agreed with my judgement and the parents of my students did the rest" I explain, feeling a headache begin to seep in through my temples.

"There's only a few months left until the Christmas holidays and then you'll have a break" he says soothingly, understanding what it's like to be on the receiving end of Minerva.

"You're Mother sent me a letter" I murmur as I lie back on the grass and allow the afternoon sun to warm my face.

"She did?" he says, chuckling softly.

My eyes stay closed but I allow myself to smile, "Yeah, she did. She wanted to know if I was okay, she's so sweet."

"She adores you Hermione, she really does" Sev murmurs, almost hesitantly.

I open my eyes and smile softly at him, causing him to subtly relax, "The feeling is mutual Sev."

He returns my smile and leans back so that he's resting upon his hands and has his legs out in front of him, his ankles cross over each other.

"She also asked if she could meet my Mum" I add, almost casually.

"Do you want her to meet your mother?" he asks softly.

I let my eyes close again and smile, "yes, I think they would get on like a Grindylow in a forest of kelp."

My ears are filled with the sound of his laughter, loud and booming. I've clearly taken him off guard, a rare occasion. I open my eyes to see his head thrown back as his laughs, looking carefree and happy. It's a pretty magical sight.

ooo

"Are you sure you don't want to come and have lunch with us?" I ask Severus, curious as to whether he's going to join Mum and I.

"I'd love to, but I should prepare the potions ingredients. I don't trust the dunderheads" he explains apologetically.

I smile and nod my head, understanding how protective he is about his potions ingredients. It would nice to be able to spend the time with Mum, just the two of us.

"Okay, I'll tell her you said hello then" I say to him.

"I'd appreciate that" he replies, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.

We say our goodbyes before I head out to the apparition point, smiling at a few students on my way. A couple of the students look surprised to see me in skinny jeans, high heeled boots and a short sleeved blue blouse. Well, it is the weekend, even teachers can dress differently than normal.

Arriving at the apparition, I concentrate on the location of my Mum's new garden. It has a dense area of trees that will provide me the cover I need to arrive without being seen. Turning around with a 'pop', I arrive successfully, making my way out of the trees to make it look as though I had been walking down the lane.

Mum spots me from the window and opens the front door before I even have a chance to reach the gate.

"Hermione, darling! Oh it's so good to see you. I know I only saw you a short time ago but still" Mum gushes, as she heads down the steps to hug me.

"It's great to see you too Mum" I say as I return her hug. "Sev couldn't make it but sends his regards."

"Isn't that sweet" she coos, "it's a shame he couldn't make it but I suppose it gives us some Mother – Daughter time."

Nodding, I follow her into the house, "Anna gone out?" I ask once we reach the kitchen.

Mum nods, "She's spending the day with her boyfriend" she replies as she pours some tea for both of us.

"How sweet" I say as I reach out to accept the cup, but stop my hand mid-air at Mum's expression, "What's wrong?" I ask.

"Sweetie, does that say 'Mudblood'?" She asks horrified and I realise that I haven't bothered to replace the glamour charm.

"Yes it does" I say calmly. "Will you please let me explain?" I ask, hoping to approach this rationally.

She nods which cause me to sigh in relief, we take our tea, and sit on the couch together. We take a moment to sip our drinks before I place my cup down and face Mum.

"Okay, I have to keep this as simple as possible because I'm still having a few nightmares about this" I begin. She nods and holds my hand, so I take a breath, close my eyes and let it all come out.

"During the war, Harry, Ron and I had to find certain objects to help break the invincibility of the leader of the dark side. However, when we were hiding in a forest, we were found and brought to Malfoy Manor where the, I suppose you could have called her insane, sister of the Lady of the Manor used a cursed dagger to carve this word into my skin, along with using other spells. The dagger has been safely destroyed and the woman who did this to me was killed during the final battle but the curse still remains. Sev is confident however, that Narcissa, the former Lady of Malfoy Manor, will be able to remove the curse and reduce the severity of the scar tissue. In the meantime, Sev has made me a paste that reduces the ache and helps me sleep without nightmares" I finish, reaching to take a long drink from my cup.

Mum sits quietly for a few moments, digesting the information. She reaches for the arm with the scar and I let her cradle my forearm in her hands. "Does it hurt to touch?"

"Not since Severus starting making me the paste"

She nods, seemingly satisfied and carefully traces that raised flesh, checking it herself. "The woman that did this can't get to you anymore?"

"She can't get to me anymore, I saw her die and I saw her body being dragged away once the fighting had stopped and the war had been won."

I see her shoulders relaxing, my honest responses reassuring her. "And this Narcissa may be able to remove the curse?"

"Severus thinks so. We plan on asking her the next time we see her, which might be around Christmas."

She sighs but seems happy with my answer. "It still catches me off guard that you had to grow up so quickly in such a short space of time and fight a war on top of that."

"You're not the only one Mum, I feel that way too sometimes and so does most of the wizarding world. Do you have any more questions? Can I allay any fears you might have?" I offer to her, wanting my Mum to know that I'm willing to answer any questions that she might have.

She breathes a small sigh and thinks for a moment. "Actually, one thing I'd like to know is if I might be able to meet Severus' mother. She sounds so lovely" Mum admits, causing me to giggle.

"As a matter of fact, she's been asking to meet you too. I really think that you would get along really well with her" I say, finishing the remaining tea.

"Oh? What's she like?"

I smile, happy that we have moved past another hurdle. "Eileen is charming, intelligent and a beautiful person inside and out. She loves music, gardening, books and Severus means the world to her. She's so welcoming and friendly, she made me feel as though I was already a part of her family and that we had known each other for years. She lives out in the country, in her family Manor but I think she gets a little lonely" I finish, realising just how much I have grown to love Eileen in such a short amount of time.

"How fabulous, now I simply have to meet her. Maybe she would be willing to read my book" she beams, thrilled at the positive comments that I had to say. "I've been thinking of becoming a novelist full time. I feel that I've done all I can as a dentist, it just doesn't have the appeal that it used to and I can afford to write. What do you think?"

I go over the pros and cons in my mind before smiling at Mum, "For you, it sounds perfect. I know how long you've wanted to write and now you can. Go for it Mum, I think you'd be good at it" I encourage.

With that, the rest of my visit went wonderfully. Mum and I spent a few hours laughing and talking about anything and everything. It wasn't until Anna came home that we realised just how long we had be gossiping.

"I think it's cute" Anna giggles, her eyes bright and sparkly, she reminds me a little of Luna.

"Well it might be, but I have to get back. Make sure that Sev hasn't gone and given too many of my students detention" I say, giggling a little myself.

Mum joins in on the giggle party and agrees with me, "Yes I do suppose you should to go, but we will be in touch soon I hope."

"Of course we will" I reassure her, giving her a hug. "I'll send you a letter, letting you know when you can meet Eileen."

"Deal" she says, smiling as she pulls me in for another hug. "I eagerly await it sweetheart."

Saying goodbye to both Mum and Anna, I return to my arrival spot, making sure that Anna doesn't see me apparate back to Hogwarts.

Arriving back at Hogwarts, I roll my eyes and groan at what I'm greeted with. The courtyard is filled with ravens, crows, owls, frogs, and rats.

"Professor Granger! Please can you help?!" calls out the panicked voice of Gracie.

I nod and survey the extent of the chaos. I realise that I'm not going to be able to do anything with so many student running around so I point my wand to my throat to make my voice sound like I'm talking through a megaphone.

"STOP MOVING!"

Sure enough, every student stops in their tracks and turns to me.

"BACK AWAY FROM THE ANIMALS AND GO AND STAND AT THE EDGE OF THE COURTYARD"

They do as I ask, so I remove my wand from my neck, returning my voice to normal before I summon the various cages. Once the cages are placed and their doors are open, I use the _immobulus_ charm to make things easier. Now it's just a matter of putting the right animals in the right cages, which only takes about a minute. The remaining owls from the owlery are all that's left, which fly off on their own accord once I remove the charm.

"Much better" I say to myself, looking around at my handy work. With another flick of my wand, the now full cages fly gently back to my classroom. I sigh, roll my shoulders and look at Minerva for an explanation as to why such a chaotic event would happen in the first place.

"It is to my understanding, that a small amount of 'peruvian instant darkness powder' was mistakenly thrown through your classroom window, the result was that all of the cages opened and the rest is what you saw when you arrived" she explains. "Is there a particular reason that the cages opened by themselves Professor?" she asks, with one eyebrow raised.

"I would have thought that would be very obvious Headmistress" I shoot back. At her surprised expression I continue, "It's a safety precaution, in case of a startling event that would cause the animals distress, such as 'peruvian instant darkness powder' which would make them think that there was a fire, the cages open so that they can escape" I explain smoothly, if a little stubbornly.

Minerva looks at me with pride at my guts, smiles, nods and heads back into the castle. Feeling proud of myself, I begin to head inside myself after giving the students a look which makes them return to their previous activities.

I decide to head to my classroom, just in case there could be anything else that hasn't gone off yet. Although returning the animals is fairly easy, it's not something that I want to be doing over and over again.

ooo

"Hey Sev" I greet, seeing him standing next to my classroom.

"Hermione, I saw the fiasco and guessed that you would come here next. How was lunch with your Mother?" he asks, kissing my cheek in greeting and gently holding my hand.

Intertwining my fingers with his, I lead him into my classroom. "Lunch was great. Mum and I caught up, but she saw my arm" I say, motioning to the scar.

Lifting up our interlaced hands, he traces the letters with his free fingers. "And?" he prompts.

"She was horrified at first but she let me explain a simple version of the story, asked a few questions and then she felt better about it. She's happy that we're asking Narcissa if she can remove it too" I say as I visibly check my classroom. Everything is where it should be but I place a charm on my window just to make sure, one that only allows owls to come in but allows everything to go out (just in case).

"Well that's reassuring" he says, looking over my classroom himself.

"She really wants to meet your Mum"

He smiles at that, "She does? Well that can be arranged" he says easily.

"Really? That would be fantastic! Oh, I'm so excited for them to meet" I babble, the excitement of his words getting to me which causes him to chuckle.

"I'll send her a letter now then" he smiles, moving towards some writing materials.

In a burst of excitement, I squeal and hug him causing him to laugh at my unusual actions but returns my hug nonetheless.

Letting him go so he can write the letter, I move to sit beside him on the desk. "Now that all the drama of my day has been established, how was yours?" I ask, swinging my feet slightly.

"Quite pleasant" he replies while writing. "I always find it relaxing to prepare the potions ingredients."

"That's good" I say smiling as I reach to thread my fingers through his hair. He looks at me out the corner of his eye with a smirk but doesn't say anything.

He finishes the letter and we walk to the owlery together to find Persephone, enjoying the comfortable silence that accompanies us. Walking to the owlery turns out to be really nice, we don't see any students and the calmness that engulfs Hogwarts is soft and peaceful.

Arriving at the owlery, we look around for Persephone, "Persephone, are you here sweetie?" I call out, to which Persephone gracefully flies towards us and lands on my shoulder with a soft hoot, nibbling gently at my hair.

I stroke her beak as Sev shows her the letter, "Could you please deliver this to my Mother?" he asks, and receiving a blink and hoot in response as Persephone goes to his shoulder to obtain the letter.

He holds it out for her to take, stroking her wing before she flies off with the sunset as her background.

ooo

After receiving and sending more letters, we all agreed for Eileen to meet my Mum a month before Christmas at Prince Manor. Mum is really excited about meeting Eileen and while reading her words, her happiness at the whole situation was more than obvious.

ooo

"So Mum, are you ready to go?" I ask as Severus and I watch her gather her bag.

"Yes, I've been looking forward to meeting Eileen" she replies with a smile in our direction.

"Just like your visit to Hogwarts, Hermione and I will apparate you to the Manor" Severus informs her as he offers to carry her bag.

She accepts his offer and we once again form a sort of Sienna sandwich, focus on where we plan to go and disappear with a 'pop'.

Arriving at the gates of Prince Manor, Sev and I let Mum gather her bearings.

"It appears that she has planted some more roses" Severus comments casually as Mum holds my hand for support.

Mum looks up at his words and gasps softly, "Oh how gorgeous."

"See how some of the rose leaves seem to glisten?" I ask her, she nods, "That's fairies."

"Really?" she queries, a tone of awe to her question.

"Yes, they absorb light during the day and then at night, will allow that light to shine from their bodies. Each one tries to outdo every other in terms of how bright they shine. They're literally fairy lights" Severus explains.

Mum smiles as we begin to make our way to the front door but we don't even make it all the way up the path before the door opens and Eileen steps out to greet us.

"Severus! Hermione! So lovely to see you again" she calls out as she makes her way towards us.

She's looks stunning with her hair flowing around her shoulders and wearing an elegant but simple short sleeved turquoise dress.

"Hello" she says to mum. "It's so lovely to finally meet you, I'm Eileen."

"And it's so fabulous to meet you too Eileen, I'm Sienna" Mum replies as the two women exchange a hug.

"Come to the courtyard, the roses have a fresh bloom on them and the smell is divine" Eileen remarks.

We all smile as we follow her to the courtyard that she spoke of, Mum with a constant expression of awe.

"This is all so beautiful" Mum comments as we sit down at the table, the scent of the rose blooms filling the air.

"Yes, this time of year is always the best time. The flowers are in bloom, the days are pleasantly warm and sunny and everything just seems to flow" Eileen responses, her radiant smile never leaving her face.

"I don't mean to pry" Mum begins carefully, "But does it ever get lonely out here? Being almost by yourself?"

Eileen ponders the question for a moment, sipping on her tea that was brought out once we were seated. My curiosity gets the better of me and I can't help but sneak a glance over at Sev. He looks like he's curious as well but I can see a hint of guilt.

"Well" she finally says, "I will say that on some occasions…yes. All of the elves are wonderful but the do so love to be busy and there is only so much time that I can spend with the portraits before I find myself longing for a walk among the grounds. But Severus, my little prince, please don't drown yourself in guilt. I know you care for me, but you cannot live your life to be at my beck and call, I never wanted that for you."

"I know, but that still doesn't make me wish that I could do something to ease your loneliness" Severus says softly, drinking from his own cup.

"You are, by your letters, your visits. You do ease my loneliness" she soothes, reaching to cup his cheek with her hand.

As she lowers her hand, a house elf approaches Mum with a tray of small cakes. "Would Ma'am like a cake?" she asks poliety.

"Oh yes please" Mum replies, selecting a vanilla cake and taking a bite. "Thank you, it's delicious" she adds with a genuine smile, which causes the elf to look extremely pleased.

"Thank you Ma'am."

The elf went around to all of us and we all agreed that the cakes were as yummy as Mum had said.

"You always make such beautiful sweets Maisy" Eileen praises, bringing much joy to the young elf, who expresses her thanks before returning to the house.

"Aww, she is so sweet. All of the elves are" Mum comments with a smile, still amazed at the marvels of the wizarding world.

"They love having people around" Eileen says before looking thoughtful. "You are more than welcome to stay if you wish Sienna, I know that your cousin is beginning to feel slightly crowded."

"That would be lovely!" Mum replies, causing Eileen's expression to light up. "I think a change in scenery is just what I need."

"Wonderful!" Eileen remarks before clapping twice, causing all five elves to appear and give little bows/curtsies. She smiles at them before announcing, "Miss Sienna is going to be staying with us for a while and I would like to make sure that she enjoys her stay. Please remember that Miss Sienna is not of the magical world and that some things may be new or even a little scary to her so should that happen, please make sure to explain the item or situation so that she may feel at ease" she asks kindly.

All the elves nod, their beaming smiles directed at Mum.

Maisy steps forward in her little green dress and says, "My name is Maisy."

Another elf in a white toga moves forward and says, "My name is Scotty."

An elf in a blue dress says, "My name is Suzie."

An elf in a light grey toga says, "My name is Marcus."

And finally, an elf in a light purple dress says, "My name is Kasey."

"It's lovely to meet you all" Mum says kindly, smiling at the five elves.

They bow/curtsy again before going back to the jobs that they were doing prior to being called, allowing Mum to have some time to absorb the new information.

"So my little Prince" Eileen begins, letting Mum retreat from the spotlight for a while. "I'm curious, when and how did you and Hermione realise that you cared for each other?" she asks, also throwing a look to me to let me know that the question was also directed my way.

Severus sips his tea before saying, "I first realised my feelings for Hermione when we were working on some research together once I was out of St Mungo's. I cannot pin point the exact moment but it was definitely in those weeks of joint research."

Our Mother's smile and look at me expectantly. I finish the biscuit that I had been nibbling on and take a sip of my tea before giving my answer.

"For me it was towards the end of the same weeks of research, while we were working on the resulting potion" I finally say, giggling at the impatience of the women in front of me since I took so long in answering.

I know I'm forgiven though when their delighted smiles peak out from the top of their tea cups.

ooo

"Christmas Eve already!" I exclaim, already wondering where the year has gone as Severus and I make our way to the Hogwarts staff Christmas party.

"Yes, and it was refreshing that this year, there wasn't any mishapps at the feast. I have a feeling that the students are just going to have their own little celebrations in their common rooms and not bother trying to sneak out" Severus replies as we reach the staff room.

He opens the door for me and we enter to see our colleagues smiling and laughing. As we join them, Minerva appears to be slightly thoughtful.

"Severus, I was wondering, would Narcissa and Draco like an elf?" she asks, providing the answer to my no longer needed question.

"I know that they are looking for one, shall I ask?"

"If you wouldn't mind, I have a specific elf in mind as I think she would be happier to be with a family instead of here at Hogwarts."

Severus and I know that she is referring to Winky and that makes Severus send a quick patronus instead of a letter.

We spend a few minutes talking and laughing with everyone when a patronus makes its over to Severus and informs him of his message without being loud enough for anyone else to hear.

He smiles at me and we head over to Minerva again once Madam Hooch excuses herself to get herself some more wine.

"Minerva" Severus begins, "They would love it if that particular elf would like to be with them."

Her eyes fill with joy as she calls out "Winky."

The elf in question appears with a crack and curtsies, "What is it that Winky can do for you Headmistress?"

"Winky I have a question for you."

"Yes?"

"Would you be interested in working for Narcissa and Draco Black? They are in need of a house elf and have inquired as to if you would like to fill the position" Minerva informs the elf.

Winky's eyes light up and she begins to skip on the spot with excitement, "Me? They is asking for me? Oh yes! Yes please! Winky would be honoured to serve such a noble witch and wizard!"

Minerva smiles at the elf in front of her, "Then it is decided, you no longer serve Hogwarts, you instead serve Narcissa and Draco Black. I wish you well, you may depart if you wish."

"Thanking you Headmistress!" the elf exclaims before leaving with a crack to her new home.

"Merry Christmas to everyone!" I laugh as I throw my hands in the air, making everyone laugh along with me. You know it's a good Christmas when even the house elves get as excited with an early present as the people do.

ooo

Christmas day dawned with Severus and I spending a quiet morning together, exchanging gifts and opening the other gifts that the elves had placed under out tree. I gave Severus a new pair of dragon hide gloves for his potion-making and he gave me a stunning pearl pendant necklace.

By ten-thirty in the morning, we made our way out to the apparition point. We were spending Christmas lunch at Black Manor with the Potters and Weasleys and Christmas Dinner at Prince Manor with Eileen, Mum, Narcissa and Draco.

Arriving at Black Manor, we're greeted at the door by Harry.

"Hey Hermione, Hey Severus, Merry Christmas!" he greets as he lets us inside and hangs up are coats.

"Merry Christmas" Severus and I say in unison, as we let Kreatcher take the presents we brought so they could be placed under the tree.

"How's James doing with little Albus?" I ask, curious if Ginny's worry of the elder brother becoming jealous has in fact come true.

"Thankfully, James adores Albus" Harry answers happily. "It was touch and go for a few days but everything is fine now."

"That's reassuring to hear" Severus remarks, a smile on his face.

"Have you spoken to Draco?" Harry asks softly. "Everyone has been hoping that both Narcissa and Draco are okay."

"They're doing the best they can at the moment, but it will still take some time" Severus replies in an equally soft voice.

"That reminds me, Ginny and I are going to announce it to everyone else later but we agreed that I would tell you now before we go in to the living room" Harry says suddenly.

"What is it Harry?" I ask curiously, not even beginning to guess as to why we would get to hear this announcement first.

"Ginny and I have bought a house in Godric's Hollow and we were hoping that you would give this to Narcissa" he explains as he hands Severus a scroll. "It's the official ownership of Black Manor, Ginny and I would like to give it back to Narcissa if she'd like it. We know that they have Winky now and Kreatcher has already said that he wishes to stay with us."

"I'll give it to her Harry, I know she is going to be grateful to have Black Manor back, thank you" Severus says reassuringly as he tucks the scroll into his inner pocket. With that, the three of us go into the living room to see everyone else.

The rest of the time we spent at Black Manor was fun and enjoyable. Ron was nice, he was there with Susan Bones, and even catching up with Susan was nice even though we hadn't spoken that much at Hogwarts. The funniest moment of the night was when Molly had tried to be a mother hen to James and Albus, causing Ginny to tell her off. She told Molly to stop mothering her children as that was Ginny's job and that Molly should finally start acting like a Grandmother. There were cheers of congratulations when Ginny and Harry had announced that they had bought a house in Godric's Hollow.

"So what are you two gonna do with this place?" George asks, gesturing around.

Ginny answered her brother softly, "Harry and I are going to give it back to Draco and Narcissa. If they decide that they want it of course."

"What did they end up doing with Malfoy Manor?" Arthur inquires to Severus and I.

"Anything of personal value to Narcissa or Draco, they took with them but they gave the Manor back to the other living Malfoy's in France. There is a very real possibility however that the Manor will just be left the way is it, with no one doing anything with it" Severus replies.

"Well, as long as Narcissa and Draco are doing okay, that's what matters" Ginny says optimistically, to which even Ron agreed about.

ooo

After changing into new outfits, Severus and I said our goodbyes and went down the street so that we could apparate to Prince Manor without being seen. Arriving on the grounds, we notice that the fairy lights are on in full force, transforming the gardens into something out of a dream.

"Wow, it looks beautiful" I remark, never having seen anything like it before in my life.

"I think that having Sienna live here has perked up Mum's spirit" Severus adds, noticing a change in the grounds as well. "Ah and it appears that Narcissa and Draco are here as well" he comments as Maisy takes our coats.

"Yes Master Severus, Miss Narcissa and Master Draco arrived shortly before you and Miss Hermione" she confirms with a smile.

We smile back and thank her before going to the sitting room where Maisy had gestured, to be greeted with the sight of Mum, Eileen, Narcissa and Draco still standing and seemingly finishing introductions.

"Hello sweetheart, Merry Christmas" Mum says as she notices me and comes over to hug me.

"Hi Mum, Merry Christmas" I reply before she releases me and turns to Severus.

"Severus, Merry Christmas dear" she says as she drags him into a hug as well.

I giggle at the sight and hug Eileen, wishing her a Merry Christmas before turning to Narcissa and Draco and wishing them the same.

"And to you Hermione" Draco says, while Narcissa just smiles.

Severus gets a hug from Eileen as well as Draco and Narcissa before we all sit down and sip on hot chocolate before dinner. Conversation is light for a few minutes before Narcissa turns to look at me with pain in her eyes.

"Miss Granger, I'm so sorry for everything that you were forced to endure at Malfoy Manor. I should have done something to stop her, I'm sorry."

"Please call me Hermione" I say kindly. "It would be a lie if I said that I wasn't hoping that you would stop her but I knew that if you did, you would have probably been really badly hurt and I didn't want that."

Narcissa smiles a small smile but the pain doesn't leave her eyes. "Hermione, then please call me Narcissa, and if there is anything that I could do to ease the memory of that event then please tell me."

I can't help but fidget in my chair, causing her to stand and move to sit on the side of me not occupied but Severus. "Hermione?" she asks, a hint of worry in her voice. "What is it? There is something I can do isn't there? Please tell me what it is" she adds, the hint of worry becoming a hint of hysteria.

I take a deep breath and turn my head to face her, "I have a curse that I think you can remove" I say quietly.

Narcissa tilts her head in interest and slight confusion.

I look down at my hands then back up at her before turning my whole body and taking another deep breath. "I'm hoping that you can remove this curse" I say with tears forming in my eyes as I push up my left sleeve to reveal '_mudblood_'.

Everyone in the room, including the portraits, look dismayed at seeing the word so clearly carved into my flesh but I can only look at Narcissa.

"Do you know how to remove it?"

Narcissa cradles my forearm in her hands, much like Mum had when she had first seen it, and inspects it from every angle. Using on hand, she gently touches the raised flesh.

"Did Severus make you a paste?"

"Yes" I whisper.

She nods, "I can feel it." She looks into my eyes, "I have to wipe the paste off before I can even begin to assess the severity of the curse she placed on this" she explains.

I bite my lip but nod yes as she dampens a cloth brought out by Eileen and carefully begins to wipe the paste off. After a few seconds she stops and looks back into my eyes.

"I'm sorry Hermione but this is going to hurt….. a lot."

I nod but my free hand goes behind me to Severus who grasps it with both of his own hands and squeezes it reassuringly.

True to her word, as she begins once more to wipe it off, I let out a gasp which makes her grasp on my arm tighten so that I couldn't move my arm away. As she had to apply more pressure, the pain increased and the tears begin to form again but for Narcissa's sake I don't let them fall. After another minute, she's removed the paste and is inspecting the scare again.

"I can use ancient magic to remove this" she announces. "You'll be left with an ever so slight scar but the skin won't be raised and you would only be able to see it clearly under moonlight."

"Really?" I ask, almost not wanting to believe that I could obtain an outcome that good. She simply nods in response, looking happy with my reaction.

"It would be easier to remove it with a wand that is not my own. So that the curse doesn't recognise my magic" she says sheepishly.

I give her a reassuring smile and give her my wand, nodding when she didn't take it straight away. Giving me a relieved smile, Narcissa takes my wand carefully and begins to say an incantation in Ancient Greek. A green mist emerges from my arm but a silver mist emerging from my wand counteracts it and slowly appears to dissolve the green mist.

Narcissa speaks a few more words before both types of mist vanish completely and she hands me my wand back. Looking down at my arm, I see exactly what she said would be there. Ignoring everything my mind was telling me, I pulled Narcissa into a hug and kept telling her "Thank you" over and over again.

She returns the embrace immediately, and lets me cling to her for a short time. When we release each other, there is a group hug before the elves announce that dinner is ready.

Thirty minutes later, all of us are laughing and exchanging stories. It's only when Mum has finished telling a Christmas story from my childhood that I remember the scroll.

"Sev, do you still have the scroll that Harry gave you?" I ask him, wondering if he wanted to give it to Narcissa now.

He smiles, nods and removes the scroll from his pocket before levitating it directly to Narcissa. Only at Severus' second nod does she take it.

"What is this?" she asks, not opening it.

"Harry and Ginny are giving you back Black Manor if you want it. They have decided to move to Godric's Hollow, that scroll is the official ownership of the Manor. All you have to do is sign it" Severus replies with a smile, hoping to put her at ease.

"Oh" she breathes as she opens the scroll and reads it for herself. "Oh this is… words cannot describe how much this means to me. Here Draco, you should read this too" she adds, handing the scroll to Draco.

Draco's expression is one of gratitude at being involved in such a decision, and he begins to look excited as he reads the scroll.

"Will you sign it Mother?" he asks, a happy expression on his face.

"Yes I will" she confirms as she waves her wand at the scroll, causing her signature to appear on the provided line. "I don't know what it looks like now but I hope that Draco and I can turn Black Manor into a gorgeous, happy and peaceful place."

"You will Narcissa, you and Draco will make it the most fabulous place it could possibly be" Eileen says soothingly. "You'll make it…magical" she adds a twinkle in her eyes.

This causes the entire table to erupt into joyous laughter, this really is a very Merry Christmas.

ooo

The next day was spent with sleep in's and relaxing conversations in the sitting room in front of the fire. Eileen and I were discussing the various uses for broken tea cups when we were joined by Mum and Severus.

"Don't forget that broken tea cups make excellent pots for small plants and flowers" Mum says as she sits down next to Eileen.

I giggle at her words and at her cheeky expression but stop once I see the look on Severus' face.

"Sev?"

"I'm still not very good with expressing myself or with words so I'm going to be traditional also short and sweet" he says, confusing me ever so slightly.

He glances at our Mother's briefly before looking at me again. Taking out a little black box, he lowers himself down on one knee.

"Hermione" he begins as he reveals a ring. "Will you marry me?"

_To be Continued_

**AN: *giggles cheekily* Anyone want to know what she said? Well I'm not sure if I have enough ideas for a third addition, in all honesty, I'll only write an epilogue or a third story ONLY if people ask me for one. Otherwise I'll just leave it like this. If anyone has any ideas that they think might help me add to this little series, please tell me in a review or a PM, I can assure you that I will welcome it. As usual, nothing nasty please. I'm still new to this. Until next time, Bye! *waves with a smile***

**New Author note: I'm currently working on an epilogue to this called "Think Like Me, It'll Come To You". Be sure to look out for it :)**


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